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October 2022

ICSA Announces 3rd Quarter Safety Awards

Congratulations to the winners of ICSA’s safety awards for the 3rd Quarter of 2022 listed below. To be considered for a safety award, minimum requirements are:

• Member in good standing

• Member at least one year

• All ICSA requirements met

• SmartDrive score below 50

• No claims

Single-truck Operators:

• 1st Place: Nabi Trucking, LLC, Fairburn, GA

• 2nd Place: Boss Man Carriers, LLC, Columbus, GA

• 3rd Place: Marcos Express Corp., Belleview, FL

Small Fleet Operators:

• 1st Place: A & F Kings Transport, Inc., Riverside, CA

• 2nd Place: Godspeed Transport, LLC, Decatur, GA

• 3rd Place: WMK Freightlines, Inc., Hayward, CA

Member Survey Results

Thanks to the 142 ICSA members who completed our survey AND provided contact information so we can mail them an ICSA hat and other goodies! You will find a short summary of the survey results by clicking the button below. Congratulations to the winner of the drawing for a $500 gift card, Marvil Rodney of Rodneys Freight LLC, Smyrna, Georgia!

What to Do at the Scene of an Accident, or How to Save Money on Insurance Claims, Part 1

In this three-part series you will learn what to do at the scene of an accident – and how to save you or your company money on insurance claims at the same time. Even better, you will know you have done the right thing, for yourself and others involved.

Need to know all three steps right now? Here they are:

• 1. Safety first.

  • Set your brakes. Turn off your engine. Watch out for oncoming traffic.

  • Note time and location in writing. Turn on hazard flashers, set out warning flares or triangles.

  • Do not move vehicles unless necessary for safety or at direction of law officer.

  • Do not move people who may be injured.

• 2. Make these calls.

  • Call 911 for Emergency Assistance.

  • Call the toll-free Claims number immediately – 800/491-8421. They are the pros.

  • Call dispatcher for assistance from company.

• 3. Take photos and document details.

  • Photograph all four sides of vehicles, as well as their license plates.

  • Photograph skid marks, debris, street signs, traffic lights… anything distinctive.

  • Take notes on where people are in other vehicles and any objects loose in vehicles’ interiors.

  • Keep track of who else is at the scene. More detail, the better.

  • Do not photograph injured people.

  • Do not admit fault.

A Pig in Search of Lipstick??

For decades, California, of all the states, has been particularly aggressive in attempting to regulate truckers (and other businesses) domiciled in other states but serving California businesses and consumers. ICSA members are familiar with California’s efforts to regulate truck driver hours of service, truck engine emissions, owner-operator status and other aspects of interstate commerce despite the Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8) of the U.S. Constitution giving Congress exclusive authority to regulate interstate commerce.

ICSA has been following a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court that has some parallels to truckers’ concerns. In National Pork Producers Council vs. Ross, pig farmers located outside California are arguing that the state can’t regulate pork products that are produced outside the state but consumed in California. The controversy stems from California’s Proposition 12 dictating that pork products sold within the state must be from pigs raised in “humane conditions” regardless of where the pigs are raised.

COACHING CORNER

By Mike Hitchcock, ICSA Safety Consultant

Don’t Hit Bambi!

Collisions between vehicles and wildlife are a big problem on U.S. roads. Each year, between one million and two million collisions with large animals occur, especially mule deer and white-tailed deer, resulting in 200+ fatalities, 26,000 injuries, and costs exceeding $1 billion. Crashes with deer are most likely to occur in the late fall, during breeding season and migration.

While a majority of these collisions are between passenger cars and animals, motorcycles - and far too many commercial vehicles - also are involved. Ironically, it’s not usually the collisions with animals that cause fatalities, but rather the failure of drivers to wear seat belts and cyclists to wear helmets. Sixty percent of driver or passenger fatalities in collisions with wildlife could have been prevented had seat belts been buckled. Many fatal accidents involved vehicles hitting animals and then running off the road and striking a fixed object, or worse yet, another vehicle on the other side of the road. These crashes occurred most frequently in rural areas, on roads with 55 mph or higher speed limits, at dawn or dusk, or in darkness.

ICSA’s Eye Is On the Industry

We know that you are working in or on your business 24/7 and don’t have the time or resources to attend industry conferences and meetings. That’s why ICSA is your eyes and ears and why we try to report back to you on the issues that affect your business and what industry leaders are saying about these issues. ICSA is active in several key industry organizations, including American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), to name a few.

What follows are some highlights of two recent meetings the ICSA team has attended on your behalf.