Archive for December, 2014

NATA- North American Trucking Alerts

Like any other industry, trucking has many issues. There are those who speak about them, write about them, give advice about them and analyzes them.

The list of trucking issues is a long one, but depending on who and what segment of the industry you speak to, the causes and solutions are often different. There’s often a lot of blaming, finger pointing, self interests, and many times just complaining going on, distracting many from focusing on the focal point of the problems at hand.

North American Trucking Alerts will be setting the stage to change all that in 2015, bringing the focus of trucking issues on professional drivers, as almost every trucking issue is centered around our nations drivers in one way or another such as:

Regulations, CDL Training, HOS, ELD’s, Detention time, Wages, Truck Parking, Driver Health, Industry Image, and the most discussed issue currently at hand, the perceived and anticipated Truck Driver Shortage.

We at NATA believe that by addressing and bringing awareness to these issues and by focusing on the professional driver, that real and viable solutions can be achieved. It will take a sincere level of concern however, addressing the issue for the good of the entire industry and not for individual gain. The 3 A’s of NATA are Awareness, Accountability, and Action.

We invite you to join North American Trucking Alerts and be a part of ideas, solutions, and accountability: everyone from individuals, drivers, organizations, groups, carriers, brokers, shippers, receivers and all who have a vested interest in the trucking industry. The most concerned within the industry are coming together, putting aside their differences, and working together for the good of everyone affected. It is our goal to highlight those who step up and take action toward drivers and ultimately, industry concerns.

NATA has brought together many within the industry to contribute their thoughts and ideas through Articles and membership Forum Postings. Our contributors are among the finest and most concerned within the industry and more are being added on a regular basis.

So far NATA’s advisory committee includes Richard Wilson of TCRG Consulting, who has been recently nominated for membership and representation for the Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee (ELDTAC). The final date to submit an application or nomination is set for January 9, 2015.

Other areas for the advisory committee will include:  Health, Financial Guidance, Law and Trucking Employment, all of whom will be added to the NATA site as they are assigned.

Membership for CDL drivers and their families are free for the month of December. All members are automatically entered into the Cobra Prize giveaway. Winners will be announced on the New Years Eve broadcast on Truth About Trucking “Live”, Wednesday December 31st at 6PM ET.

Prizes include a CDR 840 DRIVE HD Dash Cam and the 29 LX BT CB Radio with Bluetooth. All who JOIN  North American Trucking Alerts in December will be part of Random Prize Drawing — Prizes donated by Cobra Electronics.

NATA is seeking all those within the industry who desire to be a part of unity, commitment, ideas and solutions for trucking’s most crucial concerns. Again: Awareness, Accountability and Action . . . we invite all those interested to join and be a part of NATA’s goal.

Contact NATA for more information via:

• nata@northamericantruckingalerts.com
• northamericantruckingalerts@gmail.com
• 352-465-7476

1. Follow North American Trucking Alerts on Twitter
2. North Amercan Trucking Alerts on Facebook

© 2014, Allen Smith. All rights reserved.

Technorati Tags: accountability, blog talk radio, cdl drivers, membership, NATA, North American Trucking Alerts, trucking industry, truth about trucking live

Share This!

Establishing a nationalized standard for entry-level driver training, which more specifically would include on-road training has been an ongoing issue within the trucking industry for nearly 30 years.

With the signing of MAP-21 in July of 2012, the highway bill required the Secretary of Transportation to finally issue regulations that would establish minimum requirements for entry-level training. The deadline to do so was October of 2013.

Most recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced its intent to establish a negotiated rulemaking (RegNeg) committee to negotiate and develop proposed regulations to implement Section 32304 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act; the section which addresses establishing the minimum requirements standard.

The Proposed Rule document has been issued with the intent to establish an Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee (ELDTAC) and is calling for solicitation of applications and nominations for committee membership. The final date to submit an application or nomination is set for January 9, 2015.

As professional CDL drivers, the opportunity to play a major role in establishing such a committee is powerful, especially when one considers other FMCSA committees such as the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, commonly known as MCSAC.

Established in 2006, the MCSAC committee is responsible for providing advice and recommendations to the FMCSA Administrator relating to motor carrier safety programs and regulations. The 20 member committee largely consists of individuals with backgrounds in motor carriers, law enforcement and safety advocacy groups:

MCSAC Committee Members:

FMCSA MCSAC Members

Such committees are highly lacking in any representation for the rights and concerns of the professional truck driver. As the FMCSA calls for a process to begin the formation of its Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee, truck drivers can have a major role in nominating an FMCSA ELDTAC member who will represent and speak on their behalf regarding the rule-making process.

Such a role is in direct relationship to the founding principles of NATA: the North American Trucking Alerts. The goals of NATA are Awareness, Accountability and Action:

1. Raise Awareness to the issues
2. Bring Accountability to the industry
3. Take Action toward the concerns

No longer can drivers and the industry continue to talk about the issues as they have done for decades. It is now time to implement solutions for the problems facing the professional driver, as well as the industry as a whole. As drivers are made aware of the issues and accountability to the problems are established, the final step is action.

Richard Wilson

In taking action toward having a driver representative as a member of the ELDTAC, NATA will be nominating Richard Wilson, President and CEO of TCRG Consulting and Regulation.

Mr. Wilson also serves on the NATA Advisory Council as the Regulation and Compliance Representative. He also regularly attends the FMCSA MCSAC meetings in Washington, D.C. and will continue to do so while representing NATA and its members.

Tune in to Truth About Trucking “LIVE” on Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 6:00 PM ET as Richard Wilson joins us as our guest to further discuss the need for nationalized entry-level driver training standards.

As drivers, your comments and nominations for the ELDTAC committee membership is the first step in taking a vital role in the regulatory process. Final date for submission is January 9, 2015 for Docket No. FMCSA-2007-27748 with ID No. FMCSA-2007-27748-0853.

To submit your comments and nomination connect directly to: RegulationsGov.

© 2014, Allen Smith. All rights reserved.

Technorati Tags: eldtac, entry level driver training, FMCSA, FMCSA advisory, MAP 21, MCSAC, NATA, North American Trucking Alerts, regulations, Richard Wilson, TCRG Consulting, Trucking

Share This!