Glostone Newsletter April 2015
posted in Blog, Newsletter, Uncategorized by Brian Gray
Glostone Newsletter April 2015
Six Month Sentence For Not Disclosing Accidents To Carrier
A South Carolina truck driver has been sentenced to time served, 6 months, and three years of supervised release for not disclosing to his carrier his truck accident history.
Arnold Williams was terminated from his carrier in February 2013, but applied to work as a driver for a different carrier in April 2013. He was hired, but he failed to list previous accidents on his employment application, violating FMCSA regulations.
Though he pleaded guilty in January to charges of making false statements on an FMCSA-required form, Williams is also facing charges of reckless homicide and possessing an open alcohol container following a January 2013 crash that resulted in one death and three injuries.
He has been in custody for six months and will remain in custody while awaiting trial for homicide charges.
1ST Quarter IFTA Tax Filing Deadline-April 30
April 30 is the deadline to file your 1st quarter International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) tax filing. States depend upon fuel taxes to help support their infrastructure programs. They are concerned that commercial trucks, with their large fuel tank capacity, can fill up in one state and then drive through other states without having to re-fill and pay any fuel taxes to those states.
The IFTA tax filing addresses those concerns. The program fairly distributes fuel taxes to every state based upon where the fuel was used while taking into account the taxes paid at the pump where the fuel was purchased. Interstate commercial trucks that exceed 26,000 lbs in gross vehicle weight are required to participate in IFTA reporting.
An accurate IFTA tax filing requires detailed distance and fuel purchase record keeping. Every state audits carriers to ensure the correct fuel taxes have been paid. IFTA audits can look at records going back 4 years. Paper records as well as electronic records must include details of every mile driven for every truck. Details include odometers, distance by state, routes of travel, beginning and ending points and more.
Carriers must be very detailed in their record keeping to avoid audit penalties. Of particular concern are carriers using Garmin-like electronic devices to track their distance only to find at audit that the service does not provide the details required.
Should you need help filing your tax return, the required record keeping, or analyzing your electronic devices for IFTA compliance give us a call at 503-607-1088.
CVSA’s International Roadcheck Annual Three-Day Enforcement Event to Take Place June 2-4, 2015
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 28th annual International Roadcheck will take place June 2-4, 2015. International Roadcheck is a 72-hour period when approximately 10,000 CVSA-certified local, state, provincial and federal inspectors in jurisdictions across North America perform truck and bus inspections.
International Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world, with nearly 17 trucks or buses inspected, on average, every minute in Canada, the United States and Mexico during a 72-hour period. During the annual three-day event, CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, enforcement and educational initiatives targeted at various elements of motor carrier, vehicle, driver, and cargo safety and security.
Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of violations. The special emphasis for International Roadcheck 2015 is cargo securement. While checking for compliance with safe loading regulations is always part of roadside inspections, CVSA is highlighting cargo safety as a reminder to drivers and carriers. The proper loading and securing of cargo on vehicles is a matter of public safety. For many types of loads, particularly those that are not sealed or otherwise inaccessible to the driver, regulations require the driver to stop within the first several miles of a trip and recheck the tie downs and other load securing equipment.
Inspectors will primarily be conducting the North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is the most thorough roadside inspection. It is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of both the driver and vehicle. Drivers will be asked to provide items such as their license, endorsements, medical card and hours-of-service documentation, and will be checked for seat belt usage and the use of alcohol and/or drugs. The vehicle inspection includes checking items such as the braking system, coupling devices, exhaust system, frame, fuel system, lights, safe loading, steering mechanism, drive line, suspension, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, windshield wipers, and emergency exits on buses.
Employer Responsibilities For Managing a DOT Regulated Drug and Alcohol Program
Even if you use a Third Party to manage the details of your required drug and alcohol testing program, there are still very important requirements that, as the carrier, you must make sure happens correctly. We offer a 4 hour training course that provides an in depth look into Part 382 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Topics include: testing procedures, notice requirements, start dates, employee admission, required testing, handling of test results, record retention, policies, confidentiality and more.
Our next class is May 13. Register using the training page on our website at www.glostone.com or by calling Jennifer at 503-607-1088.
