RAIN IS blamed for thousands of accidents each year and driving on wet roads is particularly hazardous. While it is impossible to completely eliminate the risks, it is entirely possible to reduce the factors that lead to accidents by understanding the difference between driving in fair and foul weather.

Washington – Commercial motor vehicle drivers who operate vehicles containing hazardous materials will be prohibited from texting while driving, according to a final rule from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Driver compensation is usually measured in terms of an hourly wage or a rate based on travelled distances, but an array of additional incentives can play an important role in helping your fleet retain workers, lower fuel bills, and reduce accident claims.

In a recent study, for example, the US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) concluded that safety incentives helped studied fleets reduce insurance claims, workers’ compensation claims and crashes by 65%.

“Incentive programs that offer progressively increasing safety bonuses for longer periods of crash-free operation would give drivers a material reason for staying with their employers rather than moving to another place of work, where they would have to start again to accumulate safety credits,” the administration added.

Traditionally, fleets pay safety bonuses equivalent to a cent per mile, but some will pay more than two or three cents, says Ray Barton, co-author of Incentive Programs for Enhancing Truck Safety and Productivity, a Canadian study into the issue.

“The companies that felt the strongest about their safety programs, they had both the financial incentives as well as the recognition incentives,” he adds. “The younger drivers prefer the idea of the money. People in the business a little longer, they liked the idea of the recognition.”

Barton points to his own wall of honours as proof, and a proudly displayed coffee cup that was offered for giving a presentation. “It doesn’t have to be a very expensive prize that goes with it. Just something that people can put up on their wall at home and the family can look at and be proud of,” he says.

In comparison, a financial incentive disappears once it’s spent. Financial rewards that are included in such a program should also be paid quarterly, the consultant says, noting that a driver can quickly become discouraged if a January accident shuts him out of a safety initiative for the rest of the year. “This way, if you do get into an accident, you get right back in the program quickly.”

Bonus cheques should also be kept separate from traditional pay, he adds. “Then drivers [become] more aware of it.”

Consider issuing incentives just before Christmas, or the beginning of the school year, when extra cash will be particularly appreciated.

The same approach can be effective when looking to achieve other measurable targets, such as improved fuel economy.

“If you put a fuel economy incentive in place, and you pay half the savings to the drivers, then you’re money ahead and the driver’s money ahead,” he suggests.

A fixed schedule of incentives can also play a role in reducing driver turnover.

“One of the firms, they paid their new drivers two cents a mile less than drivers who had been around a while. They had a huge turnover in the first six months,” Barton says, referring to research in his study. But it then added a safety incentive that accumulated for six months before it was paid out, and the turnover rate dropped to 20% from a traditional level of 70%.

Another company combined an array of incentives, including driver appreciation days, along with training that showed managers how to treat drivers with respect. That fleet’s annual turnover dropped to 30% from 100%.

“If you improve driver retention, you’ll reduce your accident costs,” Barton adds. “I’m not talking the spectacular, fiery crash.” But a driver more aware of a route will be less likely to dent fenders, snap mirrors or jump curbs.

Fleets, meanwhile, will enjoy another benefit. “In order to pay out the incentives, you have to keep good records, and that’s one of the great bonuses of an incentive program,” Barton says.

Of course, a program’s launch will be smoothest if you’ve already established a “baseline” of statistics from which to measure results, but that isn’t always possible.

“It’s great if you can have the before stuff,” he says, “but if you think you have a problem, you’re not going to sit around three years and measure data.”

A copy of Incentive Programs for Enhancing Truck Safety and Productivity can be downloaded from http://www.safety-council.org/news/sc/1999/incentive.htm.

Chicago’s second season is beginning this month.  Now that winter is almost over the road construction season begins.  But watch out.  This year IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) and the Illinois State Police will be watching you, or taking your picture.  I also understand many other states are using this practice too.

Whenever workers are in a work zone, the speed limit is 45 MPH.  Speeders beware.   Marked white photo enforcement vans are equipped with the latest in photo radar technology designed to record the speed of vehicles and to capture clear images of the driver and the license plate. Tickets are sent by certified mail to drivers within 14 business days. Under the toughened work zone speeding fines that took effect last year, first time offenders face a $375 fine; second time offenders face a $1,000 fine and the loss of their drivers license for 90 days.  Illinois averages 6,700 crashes in highway work zones every year, resulting in approximately 2,800 injuries.

So this construction season as you pass through a worksite going 70 MPH remember to smile, You’re On Candid Camera.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety and independent trucker have been at odds over safety issues for the past decade.  The Chicago Tribune recently printed an article, Bone-Weary Haulers Raise Stakes on Road, which reported trucking incidents and deaths are on the rise.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in cooperation with its partners and customers, strives to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.  They have initiated many safety projects.

Some of the more recent changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49CFR parts 40,380,382,383 and 390-399) include:

• Cargo Securement
• Drug and Alcohol Program
• Inspection Levels
• Driver Training
• Hours of Service
• Brake Regulations

One area that is requiring more study is the affect of sleep apnea on commercial truck drivers. Many drivers fit the typical of a sleep apnea patient:

• Overweight
• Short Neck
• Male
• Short sleep cycle
• Snore
• High blood pressure

A few years ago, I was working with the Teamster’s Union in Chicago to screen truck drivers for sleep apnea.  First performed an initial at home sleep study.  Those patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea were referred to a hospital sleep lab for further study.  About 70% of the driver’s tested exhibited some form of sleep apnea.  Many were put on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine.  I was not able to do follow-up research.

The Compliance Resource Center has a 12-module training session that includes:

• Introduction to FMCSR
• Transportation safety
• Driver Requirements
• Driver Knowledge
• Driver employment screening and background checks
• Testing; Drug, Alcohol and Medical
• Hours of Service
• Log books
• Truck Inspections
• Introduction to hazmat
• Loading and unloading hazmat
• Load securement

Companies can mix any of these modules for a 1/2-day, 1-day or 2-day ON-SITE training class.  Call 847-298-3063 or info@thecrcetner.com for more information or a quote.

Recently I have been asked by a number of people about what The Compliance Resouce (CR)Center does.  We do a lot and we do it well.  Our mission is to give you the best training and/or consulting, and make it relevant to your business.  Below is a list of some of the services The Compliance Resource Center can provide.

What do we DO?

• ON-SITE Training and Consulting
• Write Policies and Procedures
• Answer YOUR Questions
• Set up a Web Page
• Train YOU in Training Skills

Training and Consulting in the following areas:

• US DOT – Hazmat (49 CFR part 100-185)
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety (13 modules to choose from)
• OSHA – General Industry (1910), Construction (1926),
• HazWoper- 40-Hour, 24-Hour, 8-Hour (OSHA 1910.120)
• US EPA – Hazardous Waste, Asbestos, Mold, Air Quality
• First Aid/CPR/AED
• On-Site Emergency Response Planning
• Assessment and Audits
• Policies and Procedures
   

Coordinate Safety and/or Compliance Training

• Customized Training
• Open Enrollment (on campus class)
• On-Site at Business Partner

Complete Training Package, including:

• Trainers
• Materials
• Student Completion Certificate
• Database Recordkeeping of Activity
   
  The Compliance Resource Center will be happy to answer your safety or compliance questions, as a free service.
  Become a member of our free mailing list, which has no advertising, only safety and compliance information, by sending your contact information to info@thecrcenter.com
  For additional information, please contact us at the web address or phone numbers provided below.
  Allan Kaufman, Director, 847-298-3063, cell; 847-372-3063
  www.theCRcenter.com allan@thecrcenter.com

JANUARY 2007        
January 1 - 31 National Radon Action Month National Safety Council Kristin Marstiller
202-293-2270 ext. 469  Radon Fact Sheet
FEBRUARY 2007        
February 1 - 28 American Heart Month American Heart Association   www.americanheart.org 
February 1 - 28 Save Your Vision Month American Academy of Ophthalmology  John Paine
415-561-8525  www.aao.org 
February 11-17 National Child Passenger Safety Week National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Tina Foley
202-366-9550 www.nhtsa.gov 
MARCH 2007        
March 18-24 National Poison Prevention Week U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission  Kim Dulic
301-504-7908  
APRIL 2007        
April 1 - 30 Sports Eye Safety Month American Academy of Ophthalmology  John Paine
415-561-8525  www.aao.org
April 1- 7 National Workzone Awareness Week Federal Highway Administration   www.fhwa.dot.gov
April 2 - 8 National Public Health Week American Public Health Association Lakitia Mayo
202-777-2515  www.apha.org
April 8 World Health Day WHO Regional Office for the Americas 202-974-3156  World-Health-Day
April 22 - 28 National Window Safety Week Window Safety Task Force  Janice Charletta
847-303-5859 x230  Window Safety
April 22 - 28 National Playground Safety Week   Donna Mokricky
800-554-7529  www.uni.edu/playground 
April 28 Workers’ Memorial Day American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)    www.afl-cio.org 
April 30 - May 6 National SAFE Kids Week National SAFE Kids Campaign  Suzanne Morton
202-662-4476 www.safekids.org 
MAY 2007        
May 1 - 31 National Electrical Safety Month National Electrical Safety Foundation  Michael Clendenin
703-841-3296 www.electrical-safety.org 
May 6 - 12  North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) American Society of Safety Engineers Diane Hurns
847-768-3413 www.asse.org 
May 6 Occupational Safety and Health Professionals Day American Society of Safety Engineers Diane Hurns
847-768-3413 www.asse.org 
May 19 - 25 National Safe Boating Week National Safe Boating Council  Virgil Chambers
703-361-4294  www.safeboatingcouncil.org 
May 20 - 26 National Emergency Medical Services Week American College of Emergency Physicians  Denise Fechner
800-798-1822 x326  www.acep.org 
May 21 - 28 Buckle Up America National Highway Traffic Safety Administration   www.nhtsa.dot.gov 
May 21 - June 3 Click It or Ticket Mobilization Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign & National Highway Traffic Safety Administration   www.nhtsa.dot.gov 
JUNE 2007        
June 1 - 30 National Safety Month National Safety Council 630-775-2160  National Safety Month 
AUGUST 2007        
August 1 - 31 Cataract Awareness Month 
 
SEPTEMBER 2007        
September 1 - 30 National Preparedness Month U.S. Department of Homeland Security   
September 16 - 27  National Farm Safety and Health Week  National Safety Council   National Farm Safety and Health Week
OCTOBER 2007        
October 1 - 31 Eye Injury Prevention Month American Academy of Ophthalmology John Paine
415-561-8525 www.aao.org 
October 14 - 20 National Radon Action Week National Safety Council Kristin Marstiller
202-293-2270 ext. 469  Radon Fact Sheet

While there is an ongoing need for measures to reduce accidents involving trucks with hazardous material shipments, the accident rate nationwide is low when compared to accidents involving trucks with nonhazardous materials.

At the same time, the high percentage of hazmat accidents involving gases (flammable, nonflammable, and poisonous), flammable liquids, and corrosive materials highlights the need to continue to improve safety efforts for these types of shipments.

According to a 2001 report prepared by Battelle for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there is an annual average of 2,484 en route accidents involving hazmat shipments. An accident involves a collision.

When adding other types of incidents, including noncollisions and loading/unloading incidents, the overall annual economic impact was estimated at $1.2 billion. That figure includes $2.8 million per death, $200,000 per injury, and $15 per hour times the total number of people delayed by the accident/incident.

Other cost impact categories considered were cleanup, property damage, evacuation, product loss, and environmental damage.

In contrast, the annual average of truck nonhazmat accidents was estimated at 126,880 at an annual cost of about $43 billion.

Here are other statistics of interest:

Hazmat shipments make up between 4 percent and 8 percent of all shipments.
The average cost of a hazmat accident, both release and nonrelease, was estimated at $414,000.
The average cost of a nonhazmat accident was estimated at $334,000.
Class 3 shipments (flammable and combustible liquids) account for 64 percent of the en route accidents involving releases and about 52 percent of the nonrelease accidents.
Class 3 and Class 8 shipments (corrosive materials) are involved in about 77 percent of all en route leaks per year.
Class 3 and Class 8 shipments were also involved in about 84 percent of all loading and unloading incidents

Improving hours-of-service compliance

Submission of false logs and hours-of-service violations continue to be common violations discovered during Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance reviews. To avoid these violations during compliance reviews, carriers need to have an organized approach to hours-of-service compliance.

No misunderstandings during training

The first step is educating the drivers. Training them on what is required to be in compliance with the regulations and the company policies is the starting point. Do not accidentally give a “wink and a nod” implying that some “creativity” is allowed. Well-intending trainers can do this by explaining exactly what the carrier checks to verify the correctness of logs. “We only check the time and date of fueling against drivers’ logs” can be heard by some drivers as “They do not check bills of lading, toll receipts, repair receipts, expense receipts, and all the other documents against my log. All I have to do is make sure my log matches fuel receipts.”

Tell the drivers during training that their logs will be checked for form and manner, falsification based on any of a wide variety of documents, accurate mileages, and over-hours violations.

Have an effective auditing system

The second step is to have an auditing system that can catch the drivers that are violating. If drivers are allowed to submit false logs or drive over hours, and the carrier does not catch them, it appears to some drivers that the carrier does not care. This again can provide a “wink and a nod” to the drivers.

Work together

Third, make sure everyone is “on board” when it comes to hours-of-service compliance. If the safety department is preaching and enforcing compliance, results can be mixed if dispatch is “making” the drivers “run too many miles.” What can be even worse is if dispatch is “helping” the drivers violate the hours-of-service regulations by “giving advice” or “hiding documents.”

Do something about it

Finally, the carrier must be willing to address the issue of noncompliance with drivers that are violating. This means bringing drivers in for counseling or discipline when they are found in violation. This is another point where a carrier can accidentally give a “wink and a nod.” If the drivers repeatedly submitting false logs only receive a “slap on the wrist,” this can easily be seen as a “wink and a nod.”

To prove they are serious about hours-of-service violations, many carriers have gone to a progressive discipline approach. This system “steps up” the discipline for each repeated violation. If drivers submit false logs one month, they are counseled. If the submit false logs again, they are given a written warning that the next violation will result in a suspension, and so on up to terminating the drivers that repeatedly violate.

Remember, carriers can be held liable for not stopping the drivers from violating the hours-of-service regulations. This liability can lead to fines in compliance reviews and/or large settlements in lawsuits! The “trick” with hours-of-service compliance is to do all of the above. Carriers that only do one may accidentally be giving a “wink and a nod” to their drivers.

When I became an instructor in The Dynamics of Fleet Safety, I became more involved with driving safety.  We know that the greatest rise in worker’s injury and death is occurring with motor vehicle accidents.  Speed, alcohol and failure to use seat belts are the major cause of these incidents, however I recently did some research on 2 other driving problems, which are my driving pet peeves.

How often have you had a car make a right turn on red in front of you almost causing an accident?  During the past month I recorded each time I saw it happen whenever I was in a car.  Any guess as to the number?  Would you believe in 30 days the number was 182?  This number represents a motor vehicle which, in my opinion, made a right turn on red without stopping at the red light, did not yield to on coming traffic, or just made a dangerous right-turn-on-red. 

During the second part of the research, I recorded the number of motor vehicles that failed to use turn signals.  This number is staggering.  Over 450 vehicles failed to use their turn signals and over 225 did so when turning either right or left.

Interesting that over 80% of these infractions were with passenger vehicle drivers.  Professional drivers did much better, especially when making a turn.  The Federal Highway Administration estimates the cost of moderate accident is about $40,000

To be fair, research done by the Transportation Research Board for Federal Highway Adminstration showed no significant increase in accidents with since the start of right-turn-on rid.

These two driving infractions are not reported to have the same impact as speed, alcohol and driving without using your seat belt on injuries and deaths.   Yet, they still can initiate accidents without be recorded as the primary cause.  As an example, the other day I had to rapidly change lanes a car made a right-turn-on-red in front of me.  If there had been a car in the left lane, the accident would have been my fault for improper lane change.  The accident report would show nothing concerning the illegal right turn on red. 

Driving safely is being constantly aware of everything that is happening around us.  Don’t even get me started on using cell phones, reading, eating, putting on makeup, or anything else which distracts drivers.

Please use the comment section below to let us know what bothers you when you are driving.