Trucking News: Roadcheck, Port Catchup, Speed Limiters, & More

Tips for ELD compliance during Roadcheck

It’s CVSA International Roadcheck week, the annual inspection event for commercial vehicles and drivers. With hours of service the No. 1 cause of driver-related violations, here are four tips to make sure you’re ready for the ELD portion of any roadside inspection:

1. Make it accessible: An inspector must be able to read the ELD display without having to enter the vehicle so make sure it can be unmounted or connected in a way that would allow it to be passed a reasonable distance. If the ELD uses a mobile device, the driver can handle it on the inspector’s behalf as long as the display is visible.
2. Claim unassigned driving time: The driver should review any unassigned driving time recorded by the device and either claim it or indicate that the time belongs to someone else. Failing to correct unassigned driving time can result in an out-of-service condition.
3. Keep backup logs handy: Expect the inspector to ask to see a supply of blank paper logs sufficient to record duty status for at least eight days.
4. Find the ELD manual. The driver should have access to instructions about how to enter, retrieve and transfer data. These documents are available in electronic format within the Transflo Mobile+ app (under Required Documents).

Last year officials conducted more than 40,000 inspections so be prepared for delays and extra scrutiny at the scales. Visit CVSA’s web site for more information.

Not so fast: OOIDA asks to extend comment period on speed limiters

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association asked the FMCSA to extend the comment period for its proposal to require trucks to be equipped with a speed-limiting device.

FMCSA published an advance notice of supplemental proposed rulemaking on May 4 and set a 30-day comment period, meaning the deadline is June 3. If granted, OOIDA’s extension request would move the deadline to August 2. According to Regulations.gov, FMCSA has received nearly 10,000 comments on the supplemental notice so far. To make a comment, visit Regulations.gov.

Carriers told to batten down the hatches amid rate volatility

Freight shipments slipped in April, down 3.5% from March, according to Cass Information Systems. It’s not uncommon for volumes to decline from March to April but the report said more softness is on the horizon especially in the spot market, where falling rates, spiking fuel costs and more freight moving under contract have punished small carriers and independent owner-operators.

It’s time for “fleets to batten the hatches,” Cass said, adding that pricing has fallen “with a thud” and that it’s likely that “freight rate deflation is on the horizon.”

West Coast ports playing catchup

There’s no telling how much freight has been tangled up in China during COVID lockdowns or when that tidal wave of imports will arrive here. According to FourKites, the two-week average shipment volume from China to the U.S. was down 20% at the end of April, compared to just before the lockdown. The two-week average out of Shanghai was down 22%.

In the meantime, West Coast ports have plenty of catching up to do.

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said 16,000 containers are waiting to load onto trains when the number should be around 9,000. “We need more engines and empty railcars into the port to accommodate the movement,” Seroka told The Wall Street Journal. “I can’t say whether we will go back to 100 ships queuing up to dock, but we really need to get the existing cargo out of the port and out of Southern California.”

At the same time, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group met last week to begin negotiations on a new labor agreement. The existing contract between 22,000 workers and employers at 29 West Coast ports expires on July 1.

Journal of Commerce reporter Cathy Morrow Roberson has an excellent recap of this and other port-related issues in her Freight Forward newsletter.