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May 2022

Dozens of ICSA Members Signed Up for Fuel Discounts Last Week

If you missed last week’s special announcement of ICSA’s new fuel discount partnership with Iron Truck Services, here is another chance to get signed up. After this week, you will need to use the link in the Partners section of the ICSA website.

ICSA members can now SAVE thousands of dollars annually on diesel fuel with Iron Fuel's discount network of over 1,500 fueling locations.

CREDIT LINES to increase your cash flow

24/7 FUEL CARD FUNDING for prepaid accounts

No application fee, no contract and no additional ICSA membership fees!

Online fuel budgeting and spending control

Fuel tax filing service and reporting

ICSA Memberships Renew July 1

Watch for your email with instructions

It will soon be time to renew your ICSA membership for the next year (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023). If you have just joined ICSA in the past year, you paid pro-rated dues based on the month you joined. Effective July 1, you will be joining longer-term members in paying your annual dues of $100 for your first truck and $25 for each additional truck you operate up to ICSA’s cap on dues of $500.

Membership in ICSA and compliance with the Terms and Conditions of Membership is required for Platinum members who wish to qualify for truck insurance coverage from one of ICSA’s partner agencies. We thank you for your membership and hope that you are taking advantage of the many other services ICSA offers.

FMCSA Announces Speed Limiter Rulemaking

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is encouraging trucking companies and drivers to comment on a proposal to require speed limiters on commercial trucks. The concept of electronically limiting commercial vehicle speeds is not new to the trucking industry. As recently as 2016, FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly proposed a speed limiter rule in which the requirement would have been placed on truck manufacturers and did not include a specific maximum speed in the proposed rule.

In its release last month accompanying announcement of the rulemaking, FMCSA said it intends to move forward with a separate motor carrier-based speed limiter rule which would place the requirement on motor carriers and not on the manufacturer. FMCSA believes that placing the requirement on motor carriers will ensure compliance with the rule. FMCSA also appears to be considering three potential maximum speeds – 60 mph, 65 mph and 68 mph.

Drive With Caution Out There!

2021 traffic deaths hit 16-year high

According to preliminary data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, up 10.5% from 38,824 fatalities in 2020. This is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the history of the reporting system NHTSA uses.

Deaths in truck-involved crashes during 2021 increased 13%, with 5,601 fatalities, reversing the downward trend seen in 2020. NHTSA defines a large truck as any truck with a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, either in commercial or non-commercial use at the time of the crash – a weight range that includes everything from heavy duty pickups to semis.

Regardless of truck size, ICSA advises its members to exercise extra caution on the road and recommends that driver not only operate at a safe speed for roadway conditions but also allow at least a 4-second following distance from the vehicle ahead.

COACHING CORNER

By Mike Hitchcock, ICSA Safety Consultant

Personal Conveyance

New Restrictions Ahead?

On March 29, 2022, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) petitioned FMCSA to begin rulemaking for a more straightforward definition of Personal Conveyance (PC). Among CVSA’s recommendations is a request that FMCSA impose time or distance restrictions, although CVSA did not offer specific metrics. CVSA said the agency should focus on the fact that the purpose of existing HOS rules is to reduce cumulative fatigue and not to arbitrarily restrict commercial vehicle operations.

One of the noteworthy features of electronic logs is that all drive time is captured and logged. To accommodate those instances in which a truck is driven exclusively for personal use, electronic logging systems provide for a fifth duty status called “Personal Conveyance,” allowing drivers to change their personal driving to “Off-Duty Driving.”

“Personal Conveyance” often means different things to different people. Understanding the law is critical to avoid the risks of misusing the personal conveyance provision of hours-of-service regulations and can save you time and money as well as reduce your risk of a crash.

USDOT, FMCSA Pledge More Truck Parking

Speaking to a meeting of trucking industry leaders in Arizona early this week, the acting FMCSA Administrator said her agency and trucking are in sync on top industry issues, including the need for more truck parking.