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Audit Finds Flaws in FMCSA Monitoring of Drivers’ Medical Qualifications

A Department of Transportation Inspector General audit has found weaknesses in federal regulators’ monitoring of medical examiner qualifications and ensuring that truck drivers meet physical qualification standards to safely operate commercial vehicles.

“The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s ability to oversee whether drivers meet physical qualification standards to safely operate a commercial vehicle is limited because of a lengthy outage of the [Medical Examiners] National Registry and a resulting backlog of driver examination reports that were not entered into the Registry,” said the IG’s audit results, made public Jan. 15. “Furthermore, FMCSA has not fully implemented requirements for random periodic monitoring of medical examiners’ eligibility and performance.

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https://www.ttnews.com/articles/audit-finds-flaws-fmcsa-monitoring-drivers-medical-qualifications

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Outbound tender volumes continue to fall

The Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI) fell 3.4% week-over-week (w/w). This is a meaningful decline, but shouldn’t be seen as a trend. Tender volumes are following the seasonal lull, but at a much higher level. Due to the high level of tender rejections, it is important to adjust OTVI to account for this. On a rejection-adjusted basis, tender volumes are up 23% year-over-year (y/y), up from 20% last week.

The pace of consumer spending slowed last week according to Bank of America card spending data, but remained quite strong. After posting a post-pandemic best 9.7% y/y growth rate last week, consumers reigned in spending and notched a 6% y/y growth rate in the latest week of data (ending Jan. 16).

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https://www.freightwaves.com/news/outbound-tender-volumes-continue-to-fall

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The harder you work for something the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.

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California’s road to reducing truck emissions runs through warehouses

The warehouse industry in Southern California is pushing back against a proposed emissions rule that would make operators of distribution centers responsible for pollutants generated by trucks going into and out of their facilities.

The “indirect source” rule drafted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) is one of the first emissions regulations in the country to take aim at the massive growth in warehouse development tied to e-commerce.

If approved — the AQMD Board is expected to vote on the proposal this spring — the rule would require warehouse operators to either take steps to reduce emissions, such as transition to electric trucks, or pay a fee to the air quality agency.

The AQMD, an agency charged with reducing air pollution in Southern California, typically regulates “stationary” sources of pollutants such as factories and refineries, Sarah Rees, South Coast District assistant deputy executive officer, told FreightWaves.

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https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-emissions-rule-targets-warehouse-operators

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When you feel like quitting, remember why you started!

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FMCSA proposes eliminating vision exemptions for drivers

Federal regulators want to amend driver qualifications to allow those with vision loss in one eye to be deemed qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) without having to apply for an exemption.

In a notice of proposed rulemaking scheduled to be published on Tuesday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking an alternate vision standard that would replace the current exemption program as a basis for establishing vision qualifications.

“It is well recognized in the literature that individuals with vision loss in one eye can and do develop compensatory viewing behavior to mitigate the vision loss,” according to FMCSA.

“Therefore, if an individual meets the proposed vision standard, the agency expects there will be no adverse impact on safety due to the individual’s vision. That is, once an individual’s vision is stable and the individual has adapted to and compensated for the change in vision, the loss in vision is not likely to play a significant role in whether the individual can drive a CMV safely.”

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https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-proposes-eliminating-vision-exemptions-for-drivers

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Carrier platform accelerates path to digitization

Carrier platforms took off this year, as technologists took advantage of opportunities to help small to midsize trucking companies accelerate their path to digitization.

Among this group of startups is CloudTrucks, a virtual back-office platform that in December closed a Series A funding round of $20.5 million. Smart Hop, a digital platform helping small trucking companies grow their businesses, closed a $4.5 million seed round earlier this year.

Another new entrant, digital trucking platform LoadStop, offers an array of services, ranging from a carrier-focused TMS to real-time visibility tracking and an autonomous dispatcher, all aimed at enabling smarter planning of shipping and trucking routes.

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https://www.freightwaves.com/news/carrier-platform-accelerates-path-to-digitization

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