Safety Insights
times, even revocation of operating authority. In other words, the days of the old school trucker were quickly disappearing. It was also during this time that trial lawyers began to realize how lucrative it can be to sue a trucking company, especially one that was still operating under the old school theory of making profit at all costs. Fortunately today's drivers realize they can't produce false logs without severe con-sequences, and the trend is to operate within the regulations. It's been a long and hard sell to some in our industry, but we need to understand that regulatory agencies like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are stronger than ever, and according to our state FMCSA office, there are generally six or seven Alabama-based trucking companies displaying an Out-of-Service notice on their front door at any given time. These are the truckers who continue to operate the old-school way. ATA members who have been subject to a compliance review by an FMCSA agent will tell you, there is a strict policy regarding hours-of-service compliance. Some have even terminated the employment of otherwise good drivers who refuse to comply with every paragraph of Part 395 of the regulations. Being placed out-of-service is a severe penalty for both company and driver. No one wins in that situation, but a safety rating is so critical to success in trucking today that it has to happen. Likewise shippers can no longer tolerate a carrier that has a less than satisfac-tory safety rating because of the liability asso-ciated with the rating. There's just too much at risk otherwise. Anyone can see a list of Alabama carriers having been served an Out-of-Service notice by the FMCSA at www.safersys.org. Scroll down to the FMCSA Searches subhead and then click the Out-of-Service Orders link to see who has made this list during the past few years. Then gather your company's management team to make certain it is doing all it can to ensure the company stays off this career-ending list. I have been an employee of trucking for more than 38 years, having drawn my first paycheck from the industry in 1971. Those were the days of regulation, when everyone needed authority from the Interstate Commerce Commission to haul freight from point to point. They were also the days of what I call the old school trucker mentality with regards to transportation safety which is to say, there were rules back then, but some truckers felt those rules were made to be bent a little to get a load delivered on time. Back then, drivers were held in high regard by the motoring public. It seemed truck drivers were always available to help a motorist who had broken down on the highway, and one truck driver would never even think about not stopping for another truck driver who was having problems. Courtesy was the name of the game. On the other hand, it was not all that uncommon for some drivers to use some type of stimulant (stronger than coffee, that is) to stay awake during long hours on the road. Logbooks were required, but enforce-ment was relaxed, and as such, drivers were generally adept at not getting caught with their creativity. Then, in the early 1980s, everything changed. The industry was deregulated, and it seemed everyone who had a little extra money bought trucks and began hauling freight. That forced hauling rates to the bot-tom, resulting in many formerly prominent companies to close their doors. But, deregulation also brought the Department of Transportation (DOT) to the forefront of trucking regulations. Our industry began to encounter more official audits, and the overall picture of long-haul trucking started a gradual move to a safer mindset. Back when I started, having a safe-ty director was mostly for show; but deregu-lation made the position one of the more important jobs in the industry. DOT audits became much more com-monplace, resulting in expensive fines, and at Gene Vonderau, CDS ATA Director of Safety and Member Services Safety Insights `Back when I started, having a safety director was mostly for show; but deregulation made the position one of the more important jobs in the industry.' Are you an old-school thinker? ATA_3Q09_revd.qxp 9/15/09 02:52 PM Page 14