Hopefully you have woken from your turkey coma and are back at the job.  A recent study I read indicated that we are most productive at 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning. After that it all goes downhill.  So hopefully this report coincides with your productive moment, or at least your coffee break.  In any event, we hope you all enjoyed the Thanksgiving break.

We are gratified that so many of you have been taking the time to attend our training webinars to learn how the CABAdvantage can work for you. In December we will again offer our CAB Basics session, which is an hour long and will include an overview of our new features as well as a refresher of the features and navigation of the CAB website.  We will also offer a focus session in December and this month the subject will be VITAL. We would like your feedback on topics for future focus sessions or any other comments on our training options.  Please email us by clicking here with the topics you would like us to cover or other comments. To register for this month’s sessions click on the following:

CAB Basic Training- December 11th at 3:00 EST:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/331222697

CAB Focus – VITAL December 12th at 3:00 EST:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/511866488

This month we report:

FMCSA CRASH STUDY– According to the FMCSA crash study for the year 2011, truck accidents occur most often during the day, midweek and in good weather.  Truck crashes have increased 3% to 3,608.  Speeding tops the list of driver-related factors assigned to the drivers of large trucks in fatal crashes at a high 7.9 percent of all driver-related factors.  The majority of fatal crashes, more than 97 percent, happened on two-way roads and 81.9 percent happened on roads with a posted speed limit of 65 mph or lower. Fatalities among pedestrians also increased, mostly in urban areas, at non-intersections, and at night.  Thirteen states and the District of Columbia experienced reductions in overall traffic fatalities, led by Mississippi (48 fewer), New Jersey (38), Georgia (34), Alabama (30) and Utah (26). In addition, 18 states and Washington D.C. showed decreases in drunk driving deaths. New Jersey had the greatest decrease (30 fewer) followed by Colorado (27), Utah (20), Oklahoma (17) and Virginia (17). A copy of the report can be viewed here.

HOS ATTACKS – The attacks on the new hour of service rules continue, with the DOT in the line of fire at recent hearings considering whether the rules should be suspended pending further review.  A recent OOIDA survey concluded that that respondents say they are more fatigued, more stressed, have less flexibility, make less money, and find parking even more difficult than before.  An American Transportation Research Institute study on the issue was also released this month.  Accordingly to the ATRI almost half of the drivers who responded to the survey said they have been severely impacted by the once a week and 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. provisions. Among the other operational and economic impacts identified by ATRI are:

•        Among commercial drivers surveyed by ATRI, 82.5 percent indicated that the new HOS rules have had a negative impact on their quality of life, with more than 66 percent indicating increased levels of fatigue.

•        Commercial drivers are forced to drive in more congested time periods, although the FMCSA Regulatory Impact Analysis did not address increased safety risks with truck traffic diversion to peak hour traffic.

•        The majority of drivers (67 percent) report decreases in pay since the rules took effect.

•        The impacts on driver wages for all over-the-road drivers total $1.6 billion to $3.9 billion in annualized loss.

Legislation has been proposed to suspend the rules, and the FMCSA indicated that it might consider such a request.  This appears to be a hot topic for the end of the year. Read More

Happy Halloween!  May the ghouls and goblins stay away and may you only get candy in your trick or treat bag! Seriously though, as we head into the holiday season we wish you all the best. Enjoy the coming Thanksgiving holiday too.

The response to our training sessions has been great – We appreciate your taking the time to learn how the CABAdvantage can work for you. Because of the continuing interest we will be holding sessions again in November. These are open to anyone and we would encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn about our new SALEs program and the CAB Basics. The SALEs training will be approximately 30 minutes and will demonstrate effective use of the system.  The CAB Basics will be an hour and will include an overview of our new features as well as a refresher of the features and navigation of the CAB website.  To register click on the following:

CAB Basics- Tuesday November 12^th at 3:00 p.m. EST

CAB SALEs- Wednesday November 13^th at 3:00 p.m. EST

In addition to our standard CAB Basic and SALEs training, we are going to be offering focus sessions.  These will be short training sessions on a particular topic or feature of CAB.  The November focus session will be November 19th, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time and you can click here to register.  The session will focus on the Workspace and all of its features and different ways it can be used.  Also, we would like your feedback on topics for future focus sessions.  Please email us by clicking here with the topics you would like us to cover.

For those of you who will be attending TIDA’s annual seminar this year, we have a great training opportunity. CAB will be holding a subscriber training meeting prior to this year’s TIDA conference. On Wednesday November 13, 2013, from 3:30 PM – 5:00 P.M., prior to the Cocktail Reception, CAB will hold a hands-on training session on effective use of the CAB’s premier website to enhance claim handling.  This session is only open to CAB Subscribers and space is limited.  Please reserve your space here.

Shuie and Tiana were at the Transportation Risk Specialist’s annual Motor Carrier Insurance Education Foundation seminar this month and were pleased to bring back to the rest of us here all of the accolades for the programs that we offer.  Thanks for all of the great feedback.

This month we report:

SLEEP APENA RULES – The Senate followed the House and approved measures to require the FMCSA to undertake a formal regulatory process before implementing any future requirements with respect to sleep apnea, which the President quickly signed into law. Rather than simply issuing guidance they will be required to analyze the potential cost of sleep apnea before they can determine the applicable regulations.

CARGO THEFT REPORT – Freight Watch International has reported that cargo theft in the third quarter is up 15 percent, but the average loss value is down about 5 percent compared with second quarter 2013.  In the reporting period, FreightWatch recorded a total of 231 thefts, with 74 thefts in July, 76 in August, and 81 in September. The average loss value per incident was $154,866. Food and drinks topped the list, with 21 percent of all incidents from July to September. Following close behind was electronics, 29 thefts, home and garden supplies, 25 thefts.  California remained the state with the most thefts, accounting for 31 percent of all thefts in the quarter. Florida took over the second spot with 30 thefts, while Illinois and Texas tied for third with 28 each. Georgia rounded out the top five with 15 thefts.

Read More