The Nation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Cole County, Missouri, Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson on September 20 issued a statement clearing former state officials and two current HELP Inc. employees of any criminal wrongdoing in the deployment of HELP’s PrePass service in Missouri. State Auditor Nicole Galloway said findings in an audit showed state officials gave preferential treatment to the nonprofit HELP Inc. over its competitor, Drivewyze. She said her office found potential violations of state conflict-of-interest and financial-reporting laws. “What we have here really is a breach of public trust and a clear conflict of interest,” Galloway said. In responses included in the audit, the state agencies where the two former state officials were employed said they withdrew members from HELP Inc.’s board, changed the process used for picking contractors and partnered with Drivewyze. The Transportation Department also later found an employee’s related actions warranted discipline and updated internal conflict-of-interest policies. Missouri contracted with HELP Inc. starting in 2002, when it was the only company that could provide the weigh-station technology. Drivewyze recently announced its PreClear weigh station bypass had expanded its service along Interstate 44 and Interstate 70 through Missouri with the re-activation of six bypass sites. Those join two existing bypass sites the company already has operational near Joplin on I-44 east and westbound. “We appreciate the work the Cole County prosecutor took to thoroughly investigate the allegations and uncover the truth in this matter,” said Karen Rasmussen, chief executive officer of HELP Inc. “We have always believed that all named individuals conducted themselves ethically and honorably and that a proper investigation would bear that out, as it now has.” The Cole County Prosecutor’s investigation stemmed from a report issued April 26, 2018, by Galloway alleging misconduct by two HELP employees, a former HELP board member and a part-time HELP consultant. All four individuals had served long and distinguished careers in public safety and transportation, Rasmussen said. In his letter to the AG’s Office, Richardson described what his office discovered during his subsequent independent investigation, finding that Galloway’s allegations against one of the named individuals “had no truth to them” and that the ethical requirements of Missouri law in fact “were complied with by the four individuals” identified in Galloway’s report. “As we went through the auditor’s report, we saw it was not based upon a thorough investigation,” Richardson wrote. In referring to Galloway’s announcement that she had turned records over to federal law enforcement authorities, Richardson said, “When the FBI was contacted by this office, the [FBI] agent said they found nothing criminal and that they were going to close their file.” Richardson also noted that no independent investigation had been undertaken by the Attorney General’s Office. Richardson’s letter specifically refutes the allegations of Galloway’s report and chastises both the AG’s office and Galloway for their failure to thoroughly investigate the case before making public accusations against the four identified individuals. “Not one of the four individuals was ever interviewed by the auditor or your [AG’s] office, although all [four individuals] have claimed to our office they were willing to discuss this matter fully with the auditor and AG’s Office,” Richardson said. “All four were interviewed by this office. All four were very forthcoming with any information requested.” Richardson concluded that his office “found no evidence that any of the four either got a personal gain or cost the state any money by virtue of their work for the state or, after retirement, for HELP Inc.” He emphasized that “There has been no evidence found that any acts done by any of the four constitute public corruption.” HELP Inc. provides PrePass services at 19 Missouri weigh stations at no cost to Missouri taxpayers. As of July 31, 2018, 28,825 Missouri-based trucks from 1,630 commercial fleets were enrolled in and qualified for PrePass bypass. Since the state deployed PrePass services in 2002 in Missouri, HELP’s $23,148,734 investment in the Missouri PrePass system has provided 34,737,466 safe bypasses, resulting in significant efficiencies for the State and operational cost savings to the trucking industry of $259,854,412. For more information about HELP Inc., visit www.helpinc.us. For more information on PrePass, visit www.prepass.com   CAPTION FOR PHOTO HELP Inc. provides PrePass services at 19 Missouri weigh stations at no cost to Missouri taxpayers. As of July 31, 2018, 28,825 Missouri-based trucks from 1,630 commercial fleets were enrolled in and qualified for PrePass bypass. (Courtesy: HELP INC.)

SEATTLE — The most productive freeway corridor for self-driving trucks in the United States appears to be Interstate 5 through Washington and Oregon, according to a report released recently by the Kirkland, Washington-based INRIX data company. The Seattle Times reports that the runners-up are I-95 from Jacksonville to Miami, Florida; I-75 from Valdosta, Georgia, to Miami; I-70 from Utah to Kansas, and I-85 from northeast Georgia to Greensboro, North Carolina, where companies could reduce the cost to move freight once self-driving vehicle technologies are ready. INRIX looked at four criteria to make the rankings. First, I-5 carries a lot of freight. State counts show nearly 21,000 daily truck trips through Tacoma and 12,000 at Longview. Second, the highway is less congested than several other U.S. freeways on a 24-hour basis to operate trucks — despite INRIX’s own assertion this spring that Everett experiences the nation’s worst peak-time highway delays. Congestion eases throughout southern Washington and southern Oregon for interstate trips. Third, the corridor is long — some 637 miles between Vancouver, B.C., and Yreka, California, where a self-guided truck could roll for hours at a time. Finally, high incident rates throughout I-5 can cause sudden slowdowns. Autonomous trucks may be more valuable in avoiding secondary crashes if they can “see farther ahead” and reduce speed sooner than human drivers, said INRIX spokesman Mark Burfeind. INRIX chose its criteria based on a future business model where an autonomous truck powered by electric batteries or diesel-hybrid motors would cross long highway miles and then be taken over by people who would pilot the rigs through crowded cities to the final loading dock or port, said Avery Ash, INRIX’s autonomous vehicle director. Experiments are under way in a few states, including Colorado, where a self-driving beer truck covered 132 miles last year while a human on board moved about the cab. The INRIX report predicted few self-driving trucks on the road over the next five years, but they could become ubiquitous in 20 to 50 years.  

WASHINGTON — The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a ruling that says California’s meal and rest break requirements are pre-empted for all operators of motor vehicles transporting hazardous materials. The ruling is the result of a petition submitted by the National Tank Truck Carriers Association (NTTC), which had applied to PHMSA for a determination as to whether the Federal Hazardous Material Transportation Law preempted California’s meal and rest break requirements, as applied to the transportation of hazardous materials. California’s meal and rest break law is considered by many in the trucking industry as being inconsistent — and some consider in conflict — with federal regulations. The trucking industry is currently asking Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit states from having their own meal and rest break laws, or for that matter, any commercial motor vehicle regulation deemed to be contradictory to federal regulations. PHMSA granted the petition to “ensure public safety, maintain security and reduce delays.” Under California law, an employer is required to provide employees a 30-minute meal break during a work period longer than five hours with some exceptions. Further, an employer is required to provide a second 30-minute meal break if an employee works more than 10 hours in a day and are required to provide 10-minute rest periods for every four hours worked by an employee. The agency said it found that the California meal and rest break requirements create an unnecessary delay in the transportation of hazardous materials. In addition, California’s rules create compliance incompatibilities with respect to operators carrying explosive materials because it is not possible to simultaneously comply with the off-duty requirement of the California rule and federal safety requirements, the agency said in a news release. Finally, the PHMSA said the California meal and rest break rules are preempted for motor carriers with security plans requiring constant driver attendance for hazardous materials cargo. NTTC Chairman John Whittington, vice president of government relations at Grammer Industries noted that carriers and drivers no longer have to choose between following the hazardous materials regulations (HMRs) to avoid the threat of hazmat releases in densely populated environments or complying with California’s meal and rest break requirements. “Our carriers are very pleased that the professionals at PHMSA share our commitment to safety, particularly when it comes to transporting hazardous materials,” Whittington said. “We thank the organizations that stood with us, like NTTC member Cox Petroleum, the American Trucking Associations, the California Trucking Association, the American Pyrotechnics Association, the National Association of Chemical Distributors, the Western States Trucking Association, and the California Independent Oil Marketers Association.” NTTC presents three main arguments for why it believed the meal and rest break requirements should be preempted, PHMSA said in a notice published Friday in the Federal Register. First, NTTC contended that the California requirements “were not promulgated with an eye toward safe transportation of hazardous materials,” and thus create the potential for unnecessary delay when a driver must deviate from his or her route to comply with the requirements. Next, NTTC argued that the meal and rest break requirements conflict with the attendance requirements that the HMR imposes in certain situations, because under certain circumstances, the HMR “implicate the driver ‘working’ under California law.” As such, NTTC argues that a carrier (employer) cannot comply with both the state and federal requirements. Lastly, NTTC pointed out that many motor carriers include a “constant attendance of cargo” requirement in the written security plans required by the HMR. NTTC contended that the California meal and rest break requirements are inflexible and may require that the drivers make unnecessary stops or prohibit constant attendance by the driver. California has 20 days to file a reconsideration of the ruling, and 60 days to seek judicial review.  NTTC encourages the state to recognize that PHMSA’s decision is consistent with federal law and accept it is the right way to promote safety. If California does appeal, the preemption decision will remain in force while the appeal is adjudicated.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Georgia will need to replace the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge that spans the Savannah River in the next decade to make room for larger cargo ships to sail beneath the span to reach the Port of Savannah, the state’s top ports official said Thursday. Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, broke the news in his annual “State of the Ports” speech as he outlined $2.5 billion in expansion plans to grow Savannah’s capacity to handle containerized cargo 45 percent by the year 2028. The Savannah River is already in the middle of a $973 million project to make the Savannah River deep enough to accommodate fully loaded ships carrying up to 14,000 container units. Lynch said he expects ships big enough to carry 22,000 container units will be calling on Savannah within 10 to 15 years. “We have a bridge that cannot handle these ships,” Lynch told about 1,400 people gathered in a Savannah ballroom. “We need to start planning the relief of the Talmadge Bridge. And when I say relief, I mean replacement.” The current suspension bridge over the river dividing Georgia and South Carolina was completed in 1991 for $71 million. It was built after some cargo ships clipped the previous bridge, built in 1954. Lynch gave no estimate for what a new, taller span might cost. The Talmadge Bridge made headlines earlier this year because of efforts to change its name. It was named in the 1950s for former Gov. Eugene Talmadge, a segregationist Democrat who served three terms between 1933 and 1942. City officials in Savannah and the Girl Scouts nationally pressed Georgia lawmakers to rename the bridge but were unsuccessful. A new bridge was one of the needs Lynch mentioned Thursday to meet explosive growth at the Port of Savannah, the fourth-busiest U.S. port for cargo shipped in containers — large metal boxes used to transport retail goods from consumer electronics to frozen chickens. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, Savannah handled a record 4.2 million container units of imports and exports. The port handled 3 million units for the first time just four years earlier. Lynch says the port plans to increase its fleet of ship-to-shore cranes from 30 to 42 in the next decade, expand its gates to increase the number of trucks that can pick up and drop off cargo daily and add storage room for cargo containers at the port terminal. Those and other changes will grow Savannah’s capacity for handling containers from 5.5 million units annually to 8 million. The port authority has had preliminary talks with Gov. Nathan Deal’s office and other state officials, Lynch said. “They were very supportive, as we’ve seen in every major project the Georgia Ports Authority has taken on,” Lynch said. “The fact is this bridge is critical to our future. It’s got to be the right size.”

INDIANAPOLIS — The board of the Indiana Finance Authority unanimously approved a new deal Thursday with the vendor operating the Indiana Toll Road, allowing 35-percent fee increases for large trucks as part of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s plan to pump an additional $1 billion into infrastructure projects around the state. The rate hike takes effect Oct. 5 and the state would receive $400 million that same day from the Indiana Toll Road Concession Co. The rate increase applies to vehicles with three or more axles. Indiana would receive a total of $1 billion over three years. Indiana Public Finance Director Dan Huge told the board the new deal comes with a letter of credit, meaning banks have guaranteed Indiana will receive its future payments. Holcomb did not attend the meeting. He was on a trade mission to Italy on Thursday. The infrastructure plan Holcomb announced earlier this month would earmark $600 million to speed up completion of the Interstate 69 extension in southern Indiana; $190 million for projects on U.S. Routes 20, 30 and 31; $100 million to boost rural broadband access; $90 million for improving hiking and biking trails; and $20 million to lure new direct flight routes to the state’s airports. Democrats say the new Toll Road rates amount to a tax increase for the trucking industry, but Holcomb has stressed that the new fees won’t apply to passenger cars and would bring Indiana in line with what nearby states charge. The trucking industry also has criticized the rate increases. Gary Langston, president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, told the South Bend Tribune that they follow a large increase in state fuel taxes that went into effect last year. The combination of higher tolls and fuel taxes on truckers will ultimately hurt consumers and businesses since nearly all products travel to Indiana via trucks, Langston said. Langston also predicted trucks will bypass the Toll Road, resulting in more congestion on toll-free highways and the possibility of more accidents.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Truck drivers continue to have one of the highest injury incidence rates according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With this in mind, Atlas Injury Prevention Solutions (www.atlas-ips.com) has released a white paper exploring the relationship between driver demographics and the presence, location and level of physical discomfort. The Atlas white paper, “Relationship Between Demographics and Discomfort in the Transportation Industry,” examines a population of 102,749 drivers who completed an online discomfort survey between 2008 and 2017. The paper defines how discomfort correlates to driver height, BMI, age, gender and whether or not they handle freight. The paper continues with suggestions on how to use this information to reduce injury risk. The study reaches a number of eye-opening conclusions including: 46 percent of drivers experience some level of discomfort Drivers under 5-feet 4-inches and above 6-feet 3-inches experience higher levels of discomfort but in different body parts Obesity has a significant correlation to the presence and level of discomfort Younger and older drivers experience discomfort in different ways Discomfort reported by females is driven more by height than gender “Our goal with the research was two-fold,” said Drew Bossen, executive vice president of Atlas. “First, we want to provide safety managers a greater understanding of those drivers who may be at higher risk.  Second, we want to provide simple, real-world solutions to address the concerns of driver discomfort, supported by our data analysis.” To view the Atlas white paper, Relationship between Demographics and Discomfort in the Transportation Industry, please click here    

ELYRIA, Ohio — It’s not every day that the employees of a manufacturing operation dress up like Hawkeye, Major Houlihan and Radar from the TV show M*A*S*H and perform a skit for employees. It’s also not every day such a facility gets to celebrate the fifth anniversary of an on-site health center that has changed hundreds of lives for the better. Those two happenings came together in August at the Huntington, Indiana, manufacturing complex of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems. At an employee lunch marking the Health Center’s milestone, Bendix took a fun approach to a subject the company takes seriously: the health and wellness of its employees and their families. The Bendix Health Center, which opened in September 2013, reflects Bendix’s long-standing commitment to employee and family health and wellness, says Carlos Hungria, Bendix chief operating officer. At the Health Center, which is staffed by a nurse practitioner and medical assistant, employees receive preventive, primary and acute care services, follow-up care and referral management. The center is operated through a partnership with Marathon Health, and provides other services as well, such as health assessments, health coaching, and disease management. The Marathon Health on-site health center also serves the spouses and children of Bendix employees. On-site clinicians can either serve as employee primary care physicians or coordinate with employees’ current doctors. “The on-site health center at Huntington is an important part of our enduring commitment to promote the wellness culture at Bendix. It’s an aspect of our company that has grown exponentially over time,” Hungria said. “As a company, we are guided by the long-standing Bendix Be Healthy mission, which is to help employees and families live and perform at the top of their game at work, at home, and into retirement. With our emphasis on prevention and early detection, we strive to do everything we can to make healthy living easier and more convenient for our employees and their families.” The anniversary event also doubled as a dedication. In a surprise presentation that brought cheers and tears, Bendix dedicated the Health Center to Mike Pogorelc, who served as Huntington plant manager for the last 17 years before being named VP of supply chain excellence at Bendix. Pogorelc – the originator of the idea for the center – retired this month after over 28 years of service at Bendix. Program that gets results Since the Huntington Health Center opened, over three-quarters of Bendix Huntington’s more than 400 employees and two-thirds of their spouses have made progress in lowering key health risk factors. Hungria noted that this equates to a nearly 84 percent improvement in key health risk factors during the initial five years the center has been in place. And there’s further proof in the numbers. Employees, who can visit the center during their shift, average 4.4 visits per year – a number that has gone up every year. Dependent participation was 27 percent in 2017, up 9 percent from 2014. Surveyed last year, employees gave the center a 100 percent patient satisfaction score, and 25 percent said they wouldn’t have gotten care if not for the on-site center. The Huntington Health Center has increased its weekly hours of operation from 20 to 30 since launching. It also stays open late one night a week. “We are encouraged and inspired by our employees’ participation in the clinic’s primary and preventive care opportunities,” said Tricia Miller, Huntington’s manager, human resources. “Our team members engage themselves in the programs we operate to quit smoking, make healthy nutrition choices, and manage stress, diabetes and prediabetes, blood pressure, skin cancer, and body weight. They encourage each other every step of the way. And their progress is evident in the numbers, as Huntington’s workforce is seeing improvements in everything from blood pressure measurements to cholesterol and glucose readings.” One of many employee success stories belongs to Edward Kratz, quality technician, recognized in the last quarter of 2017 by Marathon Health for his “Healthy Like Me” patient story submission. Kratz visited the Huntington Health Center for help managing Type 2 diabetes. On his own, he wasn’t sure how to follow a diabetic diet or manage his weight loss. After meeting with a health coach who offered guidance and helpful tools, Kratz lost 45 pounds, reduced the diabetes medications he takes from four to one, and brought his blood pressure under control. He credits the on-site facility for helping him learn how to improve his health and care for himself. Culture of Health and Wellness Huntington and all other Bendix facilities follow the Bendix Employee Wellness Program, which is built on five categories: weight management, physical activity, tobacco cessation, and stress management, along with prevention and early detection. Yearly physicals and blood screenings are made available to employees and family members free of charge. In addition, employees may complete an annual personal health assessment to help each individual develop a personal health plan. Bendix facilities across North America, Huntington among them, also include on-site employee fitness centers and walking paths, as well as a shared commitment to provide healthy catering and healthy vending machine options. In 2012, all Bendix campuses declared themselves tobacco-free properties. The actions are all part of the company’s goal of creating a healthier working environment, decreasing absenteeism, and improving employee productivity and health both in and out of the workplace. The Huntington facility offers indoor and outdoor walking tracks, ping pong tables, a basketball court, golf league, and softball team, as well as exercise equipment and circuit training led by a fitness instructor twice a week at its on-site fitness center. Bendix also covers half the cost for those who take part in on-site Weight Watchers meetings. The culture of health and wellness at the Huntington campus extends to health walks such as the annual Relay For Life of Huntington County charity walk, where Bendix has been a corporate participant for nearly 15 years. And every October in Huntington, Bendix sponsors the annual MOVE 5K community race, now in its 11th year. The bustling Bendix Huntington campus, consisting of four manufacturing facilities, opened in February 1980 and includes manufacturing, remanufacturing, and assembly sites, as well as Bendix’s primary North American distribution center. The complex is the site of continual growth and expansion, the most recent example being a $3.8 million capital investment last year that included the addition of two new production lines to manufacture a portion of Bendix’s vibration damper product portfolio. CAPTION The Bendix Huntington Health Center fifth-anniversary celebration included a presentation by COO Carlos Hungria, shown here, and a dedication of the center in honor of Mike Pogorelc, who introduced the idea to Bendix leadership. (Courtesy: BENDIX COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SYSTEMS)

DULLES, Va. — Eighteen private fleet truck drivers who have demonstrated high performance standards against their peer drivers throughout the country based on customer service, safety, adherence to company standards, regulatory compliance, and community service have been honored by the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) as National Driver All-Stars. The award, co-sponsored by International Truck/Navistar Inc., was presented at a ceremony that took place in conjunction with NPTC’s National Safety Conference, September 13-14. “These drivers embody all the characteristics, skills and attitudes that are the heart of what enables the private fleet to continue to deliver exceptional levels of customer service,” said NPTC President and CEO Gary Petty. “They are ambassadors, not only for their company, but for the entire private fleet community. We are honored to recognize these private fleet drivers for meeting high performance standards in the fields of customer service, safety and compliance.” NPTC initiated the National Driver All-Stars program in 2009 to recognize those drivers of NPTC fleet member companies based on how they perform against their own internal customer service metrics. Specific measures of the recognition include: Customer service (uniform/appearance; on-time deliveries; attitude/conduct; customer feedback; loading/unloading; cooperation) Safety (number of DOT reportable accidents; number of OSHA reportable injuries; number of traffic violations verified by current MVR) Compliance with company standards (attendance, attendance at safety meetings, training, paperwork, etc.) Regulatory compliance (hours of service, DVIR, MVR, etc.), and Community service. Pictured front row from left are honorees Rick Keller, Frito-Lay Inc.; Matthew Dosland, John Deere, assigned by CPC Logistics Inc.; Steve Williams, Perdue Farms Inc.; Thomas Bryant, Shaw Industries Group Inc.; Brent Dempsey, TMH Transport, LLC; and Duane Moore, Marathon Petroleum Company LP. Back row from left are David Magers, Orscheln Farm & Home, LLC; Miriam Anne Goodnough, Fabri-Kal Corporation, assigned by CPC Logistics Inc.; Alex Diaz, Avery Dennison, assigned by CPC Logistics Inc.; Sam Jones, CVS Health; Robert Brown, Moen Incorporated, assigned by CPC Logistics Inc.; James Dorsey, Walgreen Oshkosh, Inc., assigned by CPC Logistics Inc.; Stephen Barbee, Contract Transportation Systems/The Sherwin-Williams Company; Joe Coleman, Core-Mark International; Tonney Holloway, Aaron’s, Inc.; William (Mike) Loomis, Kroger Company; and Stuart Olson, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, assigned by CPC Logistics, Inc. Not pictured was Seth Maurer, WFM Transport, Inc. Founded in 1939, the National Private Truck Council is the only national trade association exclusively representing the interests of the private truck industry and corporate/business private truck fleet management. NPTC is a leading learning resource center, government affairs advocate, and business networking culture for America’s top private fleet and supplier member companies.  The Council produces benchmarking, best practices, and economic data reports on the private fleet market; administers the highly regarded Certified Transportation Professional (CTP) training program, and conducts such events as the Annual Conference and Trade Show, the Private Fleet Management Institute, and the National Safety Conference.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said today it is extending the comment period for its August 23 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) concerning more flexibility in the Hours of Service for commercial drivers. The 30-day comment period will be up soon, so the agency said that it is extending the comment deadline from September 24 to October 10 to give a number of trucking and trucking-related organizations more time to file comments. FMCSA received requests for an extension from the American Trucking Associations, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the National Pork Producers Council, and the National Tank Truck Carriers Inc., among others. “The agency believes it is appropriate to extend the comment period to provide interested parties additional time to submit their responses to the ANPRM. Therefore, the agency extends the deadline for the submission of comments from September 24, 2018, to October 10, 2018,” FMCSA said in a news release. Comments on the ANPRM must be received on or before October 10. See more details by clicking on the links below. https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/current https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2018-20430.pdf  

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sent a letter to Indiana governor Eric Holcomb, strongly objecting to his 35 percent truck-only toll increase on the Indiana Toll Road, as well as comments he recently made to justify his plan. OOIDA opposes the increase, calling it ineffective, punitive and discriminatory. “A truck-only toll increase smacks of a betrayal of reasonable public policy,” said Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA. “We are also appalled at the lack of transparency associated with a proposal that will no doubt fail to solve the state’s serious history of financial problems and bad decisions regarding infrastructure and transportation.” In the letter, the association objected to recent comments by the governor that trucks cause “10,000 times” more damage to roads, and that truckers are “lucky they aren’t being charged 10,000 times more than cars.” “Despite your absurd and unsubstantiated claims, truckers already pay more than their fair share in transportation-related taxes. As much as the government likes to treat them as such, truckers are not rolling piggy banks,” said Spencer. OOIDA says that trucking is an industry comprising primarily small-businesses and that more than 96 percent of truck fleets have fewer than 20 trucks. “They are the backbone of our economy and deliver billions of dollars of freight that supports every community in America. Tolls impose financial burdens on small-business truckers who are already operating on the smallest of margins,” said Spencer. OOIDA also expressed concern about truck traffic being diverted to other routes, disrupting those communities and increasing congestion. “This undermines the financial viability of the toll road itself as demonstrated by the previous operator,” said Spencer. “Our Interstate Highway System was built to provide citizens of this nation with the ability to move about freely, including the ability to transport freight in an efficient and affordable manner for the benefit of all Americans and our economy. Indiana, through the leasing of the ITR, has unequivocally jeopardized this system.” OOIDA is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The group currently has more than 160,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Missouri, area. The Toll Road emblem is ©2018 Fotosearch.

YUMA, Ariz. — The gift of an X4 Series Model 7300 trailer refrigeration unit from Carrier Transicold is helping to significantly expand the Yuma Community Food Bank’s “War on Hunger” in southwest Arizona. The refrigeration unit, which will be used to transport and cool fruits, vegetables and other food products, was provided through a grant from parent company United Technologies Corp. to aid food banks in the Feeding America network. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, Controls and Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. “I can’t tell you how exciting this is for us,” said Shara Merten, president and CEO, Yuma Community Food Bank. “When something this spectacular happens, we really appreciate it.” Installed on a 53-foot trailer, the X4 Series refrigeration unit will enable the food bank to double its geographic reach, extending beyond Yuma County into La Paz County to the north, a combined 10,000-square-mile region with a population of about 227,500. Additionally, since the refrigeration unit is compliant with strict emissions requirements of neighboring California, the reefer can be used to collect food from that agricultural region and participate in food exchanges with southern California food banks, something the Yuma Community Food Bank was unable to do with its existing equipment. “We are exceedingly grateful to have been a part of this project with the Yuma Community Food Bank,” said Alex Juarez, business development manager, CT Power of Phoenix, the Carrier Transicold dealership that installed the refrigeration unit and helped source the trailer. “Through this initiative, the food bank can continue its mission to relieve hunger among countless families throughout southwestern Arizona.” The combined unemployment rate for Yuma and La Paz counties is well above the national average, and 20 percent of the families here are food insecure. Merten estimated that the value of the Carrier Transicold refrigeration unit equates to an additional 205,200 meals that can be served by the Yuma Community Food Bank. Each year, citizens classified as “working poor” make more than 200,000 visits to their food banks. “As Carrier Transicold focuses on helping emerging nations develop their cold chains as a means of getting more perishable food to hungry people while reducing waste and the excess carbon emissions created, we recognize there are needs in the U.S. as well. That’s why we support Feeding America and its member food banks,” said Jon Shaw, director, global communications and sustainability, Carrier Transicold and Refrigeration Systems. In 2017, Carrier Transicold announced the program in support of Feeding America network food banks across the U.S. The grant, which was renewed for 2018, covers the cost of the equipment and installation of truck and trailer refrigeration units for individual food banks in the Feeding America network. Beyond Arizona, the program has helped more than a dozen food banks covering parts of Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, South Dakota, Nevada, Utah and California. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain. CAPTION In the shade of the Yuma Community Food Bank’s new X4 Series trailer refrigeration unit are Alex Juarez of CT Power, Phoenix, with Shara Merten, Samantha Landesman, Michelle Merkley and Erick Thomas, all from the Yuma Community Food Bank. (Courtesy:CARRIER TRANSICOLD)          

GREENBELT, Md. — Commercial motor vehicle enforcement personnel patrolled roadways during Operation Safe Driver Week July 15-21 to identify CMV drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaged in unsafe driving behaviors, issuing issued 57,405 citations and 87,907 warnings to drivers throughout the week. This safe driving enforcement and awareness campaign aims to call attention to driver behaviors, the main cause of crashes, and combat those behaviors through heightened traffic safety enforcement and educational outreach, the CVSA said in a news release.. During the week, which is a safety initiative of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, 51,000 law enforcement officers made contact with 113,331 CMV drivers and passenger vehicle drivers. Of the total, 42,144 CMV contacts were made with 10,709 citations issued and 71,187 passenger vehicle contacts were made with 46,696 citations issued. CMV drivers were given 29,908 warnings; 57,999 warnings were given to passenger vehicle drivers. The top five citations issued to CMV drivers were: State/local laws, 6,008 citations Speeding, 1,908 citations Failing to use a seat belt while operating a CMV, 1,169 citations Failure to obey a traffic control device, 754 citations Using a handheld phone, 262 citations The top five citations issued to passenger vehicle drivers were: State/local laws, 21,511 citations Speeding, 16,909 citations Failing to use a seat belt, 3,103 citations Inattentive and/or careless driving, 1,655 citations Failure to obey a traffic control device, 739 citations In addition, 17 CMV drivers and 714 passenger vehicle drivers were cited for driving too fast for the conditions. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2016, 18 percent of drivers involved in a fatal crash were speeding at the time of the crash and 27 percent of those killed were in a crash involving at least one speeding driver. NHTSA research found that of the total number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2016, 48 percent were not wearing a seat belt. Seat belts could have saved an estimated 2,456 people if they had been wearing one. For professional drivers specifically, safety belt usage by commercial truck and bus drivers was at 86 percent in 2016, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration survey data. When it comes to distracted driving, 211 passenger vehicle driver citations during Operation Safe Driver Week were for texting; 20 texting citations were issued to CMV drivers. 127 passenger vehicle drivers and 262 CMV drivers were cited for using a handheld phone. According to NHTSA, in 2016, 3,450 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. NHTSA also estimated that of the total number of roadway deaths, crashes and injuries, 660,000 drivers were using an electronic device while behind the wheel. Of the total number of fatal crashes, 10 percent involved the use of a phone. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each day in the United States, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes reported to involve a distracted driver. Other Operation Safe Driver Week results of note included: A total of 1,822 drivers (1,699 passenger vehicle drivers and 123 CMV drivers) were cited for reckless, inattentive and/or careless driving. 366 drivers were cited for possession/use/under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both. Forty two of the citations were issued to CMV drivers; 324 were issued to passenger vehicle drivers. Specific to CMV drivers, 17 were cited for operating their vehicle while ill or fatigued, and 14 received citations for using/equipping their CMV with a radar detector. Public awareness and educational campaigns are also a major aspect of this initiative. CVSA offers resources on its website for CMV drivers, teen and novice drivers, driver’s education instructors and driver trainers. During Operation Safe Driver Week, 177 safety programs were downloaded and delivered to teens and CMV drivers. The safety programs target unsafe driving behaviors and aim to prevent crashes through effective education. The Teens and Trucks youth safe-driving campaign had 27 downloads. Defeat Distracted Driving, a commercial driver safety campaign, had 78 downloads. Improving Driver Behaviors resources for driver trainers had 72 downloads. In addition to enforcement and education, 8,533 motorists were assisted during Operation Safe Driver Week, highlighting the dedication to service and safety by law enforcement. As in prior years, FMCSA participated in 2018 Operation Safe Driver Week by directing federal safety investigators to focus on carriers with recent crash involvement and high percentiles in the driver-based Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC). Although investigative and enforcement data continue to be collected and analyzed, as of the date of this release, FMCSA completed 108 compliance investigations and cited more than 100 acute and critical violations. “During Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement officers throughout the United States and Canada aimed to reduce the number of crashes on our roadways through an effective mix of education and enforcement of highway safety,” said CVSA President Capt. Christopher Turner with the Kansas Highway Patrol. “By improving the driving behaviors of all drivers operating in an unsafe manner, either in or around commercial motor vehicles, we are working our way toward the goal of zero roadway deaths.”    

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking Associations said Tuesday is strongly supports language in a Senate-passed bill aimed at combating the nation’s opioid crisis. The bill, which cleared the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan approval, includes provisions on hair testing which ATA has long advocated for and worked closely with Senate Commerce Committee staff to secure in the legislation. The bill would direct the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to report to Congress on its progress issuing guidelines for hair testing. Upon enactment, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would be required within 30 days to report to the Commerce Committee on the status for hair testing guidelines, the reasons for delay in issuing guidelines, and a schedule – complete with benchmarks and an estimated date of delivery – for completion of the guidelines. The bill also contains reporting requirements on the development of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and a deadline for completing work on oral fluids testing. “We thank Senator (John) Thune and his staff for their continued persistence and commitment on this issue of hair testing,” said Bill Sullivan, ATA’s executive vice president of advocacy. “Our fleets need to depend on – and need the government to recognize – the most accurate, reliable and failsafe drug testing methods available. The time has come to get this done.” Federal law requires trucking companies to drug test new drivers and randomly test existing drivers. Currently, SAMHSA only recognizes the test method of urinalysis, despite the inherent advantages of hair testing, which provides employers with a longer detection window, easier collection and results that are harder to adulterate. The FAST Act required HHS to issue scientific and technical guidelines for hair testing by December 4, 2016 – a deadline which was missed. The Senate must now reconcile the bill it passed Tuesday with a companion bill in the House of Representatives before it can be signed into law by the President.

AKRON, Ohio — Do you know a professional truck driver who has performed a heroic deed during the course of his or her daily work? The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company wants to hear about it. Goodyear is accepting nominations for its annual Highway Hero Award here through Nov. 29, 2018. Established in 1983, the Goodyear Highway Hero Award honors truck drivers who have put themselves in harm’s way to help others. “As we join the trucking industry in celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, we recognize truck drivers and the role they play in keeping our economy and way of life rolling,” says Gary Medalis, Goodyear marketing director said in making the announcement during NTDAW. “But these professionals deliver more than just goods and services. They are often first responders to on-highway incidents, even before emergency crews arrive on the scene – taking decisive action to save lives.” To nominate a candidate for the Goodyear Highway Hero Award, click here, fill out the nomination form, and press the submit button, which will send the nomination directly to Goodyear. Past Goodyear Highway Hero Award winners include a truck driver who rescued a law enforcement officer who was being strangled by a prisoner he was transporting, a truck driver who dove into a pond to pull a child from a sinking car, and others. This year’s Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner, Frank Vieira, saved the life of a motorist who suffered a severe injury after crashing his vehicle into the back of a truck. Goodyear will announce the next recipient of its Highway Hero Award in March 2019. The award winner will receive a special ring, a cash award and a congratulatory trophy. Each of the other Goodyear Highway Hero Award finalists will receive a cash prize and other items. To be considered for the Goodyear Highway Hero Award, candidates must meet the following criteria: Must be a full-time truck driver Must reside in the U.S. or Canada The heroic incident must have happened in the U.S. or Canada Nominee’s truck must have had 12 wheels or more at the time of the incident Nominee must have been on the job – or on the way to or from work, in his or her truck – at the time of the incident Incident must have taken place between November 16, 2017, and November 16, 2018 A panel consisting of members of the trucking industry trade media will select the next Goodyear Highway Hero after three Highway Hero Award finalists are selected by Goodyear. Final approval of Goodyear Highway Hero Award finalists and the Highway Hero Award winner is at Goodyear’s sole discretion. Finalists must clear background checks to Goodyear’s satisfaction. Additional terms and conditions apply. “Goodyear is proud to be the company that recognizes truck drivers for their courage and selflessness,” Medalis said. “We look forward to hearing their heroic stories.”  

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The director of a Kansas City truck driving school says he thinks 18-year-olds would make bad long-haul truck drivers. Jeffrey Steinberg of the Apex CDL Institute was commenting on the fact that the nationwide shortage of truckers has some industry officials and national lawmakers supporting a plan to allow 18-year-olds to become long-haul drivers. Apex trains truckers and would likely have more students if federal proposals to allow those under 21 to drive big rigs across the country. “Sure, I’d make money” if the law was changed, Steinberg said. “But is it going to create more problems than it would solve? In my opinion, yes. I don’t think it’s safe.” Bills before the U.S. House and the Senate — co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas — both propose that people under 21 who have commercial drivers’ licenses be allowed to take their cargo across state lines. Federal law now requires truckers to wait until age 21 to get a CDL permitting them to drive big rigs across the country. As has been previously reported in The Trucker, Steinberg is not alone in his objection to dropping that minimum age to 18. The 160,000-member Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, headquartered in Grain Valley, Missouri, has joined more than a dozen traffic safety groups in writing protest letters to a congressional committee that will hear the idea. The federal proposals set training requirements for young CDL holders. “Younger drivers both lack overall experience and are less safe behind the wheel than their older counterparts,” the April 17 letter said. “In fact, CMV drivers under the age of 19 are four times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes.” Republican-led proposals before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would affect Kansas City, a central trucking hub, and other communities long state borders. Both Kansas and Missouri allow 18-year-olds to obtain CDLs, but only for travel within one state. Some industry analysts with deliveries surging because of Amazon, eBay and Fed Ex, it’s long past time to relax interstate restrictions. “What isn’t interstate commerce these days?” asked Satish Jindel of shipping logistics adviser SJ Consulting Group, Inc. “Anyone who makes a distinction between interstate and intrastate trucking is stuck in the past.” He said whether the minimum age is 18 or 21, the federal government needs to be consistent with the state CDL laws. The American Trucking Associations expect the costs of delivered packages — in addition to groceries, furniture and most every consumer product — to climb as road shippers try to find 51,000 drivers to fill the empty cabs. That’s up from a trucker shortage of 20,000 in 2013 and 36,500 in 2016. The ATA recently forecast a shortage of 100,000 drivers by 2021. With the median age of a long-hauler at 49 and shipping demands ascending, the industry aims to recruit 90,000 new drivers a year for the next decade to keep cargo moving, said Sean McNally, ATA vice president of communications and press secretary. OOIDA’s Norita Taylor said major carriers could fix the driver shortage by paying more but they don’t want to do that. “Their shareholders benefit from high turnover and low pay,” said Taylor. “Dropping the minimum age to 18 is just another way to get cheap help.” The median annual wage in 2015 for a trucker working with a private fleet, such as a driver for Walmart, was $73,000, according to ATA.

GREENBELT, Md. — Brake Safety Week, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s weeklong initiative focused on the inspection, identification and removal of commercial motor vehicles with critical brake violations from the nation’s roadways, began Sunday. During the week-long event, CVSA-certified enforcement personnel throughout North America will be conducting roadside inspections, including a thorough investigation of brake systems on commercial motor vehicles, in an effort to call attention to the dangers of improperly installed, poorly maintained or faulty brake systems. During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. Inspections conducted will include inspection of brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts; air or hydraulic fluid leaks; defective drum or rotor conditions; measurement of pushrod travel; mismatched air chamber sizes across axles; air reservoir integrity and mounting; worn linings, pads, drums or rotors; required brake-system warning devices; and other brake-system components. Vehicles with brakes that are defective or out of adjustment will be placed out of service. CVSA held an unannounced one-day brake safety initiative earlier this spring. On April 25, 2018, enforcement personnel conducted 11,531 roadside inspections on commercial motor vehicles and identified 1,595 commercial motor vehicles with critical brake violations. That’s 13.8 percent of the total number of vehicles inspected. Those commercial motor vehicles were placed out of service and could not return to the roadways until all out-of-service conditions were repaired. In addition to inspections and enforcement, outreach efforts by law enforcement agencies and commercial motor vehicle enforcement personnel to educate drivers, mechanics, owner-operators and others on the importance of proper brake maintenance, operation and performance are integral to the success of this safety initiative. Brake Safety Week aims to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles with deficient braking systems by conducting roadside mechanical fitness inspections and removing commercial motor vehicles with dangerous brake conditions from our roadways. Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake Program, sponsored by CVSA in partnership with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.      

WILMINGTON, N. C. — Forecasters say the center of Hurricane Florence is hovering just inland near Cape Fear, North Carolina. Downgraded from a 2 yesterday, it remains a Category 1 hurricane with top sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), but stronger wind gusts have been reported. At 11 a.m., Florence was centered about 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, and about 55 miles (90 kilometers) east-northeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was crawling west-southwest at 3 mph (6kph), lifting huge amounts of ocean moisture and dumping it far from the coast. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km), downing trees and knocking down power lines as The Associated Press photo of a Wilmington, North Carolina, neighborhood shows above. Earlier, rising water forced a North Carolina TV station to evacuate its newsroom in the middle of Hurricane Florence coverage. Hours before the storm made landfall Friday, workers at New Bern’s WCTI-TV NewsChannel 12 had to abandon their studio. A spokesperson for the ABC affiliate said roads around the building were flooding. The weather service measured a storm surge 10 feet deep in the city, which lies on the Neuse River near the Atlantic coast. It’s about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northeast of Wrightsville Beach, where Florence made landfall at 7:15 a.m. Friday. Video posted on Twitter showed a meteorologist telling viewers they’d be taken to coverage from sister station WPDE in Myrtle Beach. Just after midnight, the station tweeted that everyone had safely evacuated. Rainfall also is swelling waterways: Meteorologist Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com calculated that 34 million people in the U.S. are forecast to get at least 3 inches of rain from Hurricane Florence, with more than 5.7 million people probably getting at least a foot of rain. In Washington, North Carolina, the wind-swept Pamlico River has risen beyond its banks and is flooding entire neighborhoods. Floodwaters submerged U.S. Highway 264, cutting off a major route to other flood-prone areas along the river and the adjacent Pamlico Sound. Downtown New Bern, on the Neuse River also is flooded. The city tweeted early Friday that 150 people were awaiting rescue. Meanwhile, federal officials are urging anyone who ignored orders to evacuate from Hurricane Florence to hunker down and stay put until the storm passes. And they say people who are truly in an emergency should call 911, not just Tweet about it. The disaster area was expected to get about as much rain in three days as the 1999 Dennis and Floyd storms dropped in two weeks. About 9,700 National Guard troops and civilians have been deployed, with high-water vehicles, helicopters and boats. The Army Corps of Engineers were preparing to start work restoring power, installing temporary roofing and removing debris. Charley English of the American Red Cross said anyone wondering how to help from afar can donate blood, registering first at their local Red Cross websites. Energy Secretary Rick Perry says the U.S. electricity sector has been well prepared for Hurricane Florence even as hundreds of thousands of homes lose power in the storm. Speaking during a visit to Moscow less than an hour after the hurricane made landfall in North Carolina, Perry says, “we’ve done this many times before. We know how to manage expectations. We know how to prepare our plants for these types of major events.” Perry says his department has been in contact with power companies and gas pipeline operators. He says that “over the years the state government and the federal government have become very coordinated in their ability to manage the pre-deployment of assets [and] the response to the citizens of those states, and we will soon be into the recovery.” More than 415,000 homes and businesses were without power, mostly in North Carolina, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks the nation’s electrical grid.  

The House passed a $147 billion “minibus” spending package Thursday and sent it to President Donald Trump for a signature to avert another possible government shutdown, The Hill reported today. The legislation accounts for about 12 percent of overall 2019 spending and was passed by a bipartisan vote of 377-20. The Senate overwhelmingly passed an identical bill Wednesday, and the White House has indicated that Trump will sign the measure. The two chambers have continued to negotiate a third spending package — comprising four bills including agriculture, interior, transportation and financial services — but the deadline for completing them would be pushed to December, assuming the second package with the continuing resolution (CR) passes. The package passed Thursday includes bills for military construction and veterans’ affairs, the legislative branch as well as energy and water. The vote followed a deal between the House and Senate to sidestep an October 1 shutdown threat from Trump over border wall funding. The two chambers decided to pair a short-term CR extending all government funding until December 7 with the must-pass package of defense, labor, health and human services, and education bills. In order to force a shutdown over border wall funding, Trump would have to veto the entire package, including the increased spending of the defense bill. House GOP leaders on Thursday touted passage of the three spending bills as lawmakers showing more progress in the regular appropriations process than has been seen in over a decade, the Hill article stated. The $44.6 billion energy and water bill, a $1.4 billion increase over last year, includes funding for modernizing nuclear weapons complexes, revitalizing waterways, and researching renewable energy. The did not fund a project to store nuclear waste in Nevada’s Yucca Mountains, a controversial rider that had been included in the House version of the bill. In a first, the $4.8 billion legislative branch bill provides funds to pay Capitol Hill interns and also reinstates a requirement for the House and Senate to conduct studies on gender and racial pay equity among their staffs. The White House indicated that the legislation had President Trump’s support. “President Trump looks forward to signing this legislation and continuing to work with Congress to enact Fiscal Year 2019 funding for the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies, while continuing to show fiscal restraint,” the White House said in a press statement Wednesday evening.  

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s public listening session on revising current Hours of Service regulations for interstate truck drivers scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, September 14 in Washington, D.C., has been postponed because of expected severe weather conditions associated with Hurricane Florence. A rescheduled date and time has yet to be determined, FMCSA said in a news release. The agency’s first listening session was held during The Great American Trucking Show last month, with three more planned, not counting the one in D.C. that has now been cancelled. FMCSA planned for one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast and another in the Midwest. Go to https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ for updates.

GREENBELT, Md. — Of the total inspections conducted this past June 5-7 by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) as part of its annual International Roadcheck, only 3.9 percent of drivers were placed out-of-service (OOS), CVSA reported today. HOS violations represented 43.7 percent of all driver OOS conditions; however, of the total number of inspections conducted, less than 2 percent of drivers were placed OOS for HOS violations. Commercial motor vehicle enforcement personnel throughout Canada and the United States conducted 67,502 roadside inspections on large trucks and buses as part of the Alliance’s inspection and enforcement initiative. From all inspections, inspectors identified 11,897 vehicles with OOS conditions and 2,664 drivers with OOS conditions. Of the North American Standard (NAS) Level I Inspections conducted, 21.6 percent of commercial motor vehicles were placed OOS. Of all NAS Level I, II and III Inspections, 3.9 percent of drivers inspected were placed OOS. During an inspection, if an inspector identifies critical inspection items on a vehicle with specific violations, he or she will render the vehicle OOS, which means mechanical defects must be corrected in order for the vehicle to be permitted to proceed. A driver found to be in violation of the conditions in the OOS criteria, will be placed OOS until the condition can be rectified. International Roadcheck is a three-day enforcement event when CVSA-certified inspectors conduct large-scale, high-visibility roadside inspections of commercial trucks and buses and their drivers. These inspections occurred at inspection sites, weigh stations and roving patrol locations along roadways throughout the 72-hour event. Each year, special emphasis is placed on a certain category of violations. This year’s focus was on HOS compliance. Since the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate went into effect on December 18, 2017, throughout the United States, with CVSA’s NAS OOS criteria effective April 1, 2018, this year’s International Roadcheck, held two months after OOS enforcement began, served as the perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of HOS regulations and compliance, a CVSA news release said. CVSA pulled and analyzed data from the three days of International Roadcheck from the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) and pooled that data with data collected and submitted by CVSA’s Canadian jurisdictions to report overall statistics from Canada and the United States for 2018 International Roadcheck. A total of 67,502 Level I, II and III Inspections were conducted. 21.6 percent of commercial motor vehicles that received Level I Inspections were placed OOS; 3.9 percent of drivers who received a Level I, II or III Inspection were placed OOS. There were 15,981 vehicle OOS conditions; 3,035 driver OOS conditions; and 211 hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) OOS conditions. The majority of inspections (45,400) were NAS Level I Inspections. A Level I Inspection is a 37-step procedure that includes examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. Other inspections conducted included the NAS Level II walk-around inspection (11,458) and the NAS Level III driver-only inspection (10,644). The top vehicle OOS conditions were for brake systems (4,536), tires and wheels (3,058) and brake adjustment (2,612). The top driver OOS conditions were for HOS (1,326), wrong class license (648) and false record-of-duty status (308). 736 motor coaches were inspected. 60,321 inspections were conducted in the United States; 7,181 inspections were conducted in Canada. 21.6 percent (9,819) of vehicles that had a Level I Inspection conducted (45,400) were placed OOS for vehicle-related violations. The top three OOS vehicle violations were for brake systems (28.4 percent), tires and wheels (19.1 percent) and brake adjustment (16.3 percent). Of the vehicles carrying HM/DG that had a Level I or II Inspection conducted, the vehicle out-of-service rate was 13.1 percent. Of all HM/DG out-of-service vehicle violations, the top three were for loading (25.6 percent), other HM (21.3 percent) and shipping papers (19.9 percent). Brake adjustment and brake system violations combined to represent 44.7 percent (7,148) of all out-of-service vehicle violations. 9.4 percent of the motor coaches that received a Level I Inspection were placed out of service for vehicle violations. Of all driver violations, driver-related results are as follows: 3.9 percent (2,664) of drivers who received a Level I, II or III Inspection were placed out of service for driver-related violations. Of the drivers operating vehicles carrying HM/DG who were inspected, 1.7 percent were placed out of service for driver violations. 1.4 percent of the motor coach/bus drivers who received a Level I, II or III Inspection were placed out of service for driver violations. Of all driver out-of-service conditions, the top three were for hours of service (43.7 percent), wrong class license (21.4 percent) and false record of duty status (10.1 percent), and There were 729 safety belt violations.