November 17, 2014: MCM Weekly Newsletter
 

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

November 18  Missoula Chapter Safety Meeting 
                          12:00p-1:00p 
                          Joker's Wild 
                          Speaker:  Spook Stang, MCM
                          Topic:  What To Expect During the 2015 Legislature

November 19  Bridger Career Fair
                        9:00a-12:00p
                        National Guard Armory, Billings 

Nov 27 & 28 MCM Office Closed Thanksgiving Holiday   
2014 State Chain & Snow Removal Laws

We have gathered information from each state and alphabetically listed each state's chaining requirements.  


Click here for State Chain Laws

Click here for Snow Removal Laws 


November Driver of the Month Nominations

We are now accepting driver of the month applications for November 2014.

Click here
for an application.  You may also download an application from our webpage at
www.mttrucking.org, click on Driver of the Month tab, on the Home Page.

Applications must be in by this Friday, November 21 at 12:00pm.

Be Ready. Be Buckled. Kids' Art Contest 
The "Be Ready. Be Buckled." art contest focuses on urging truck, bus and all drivers to buckle up to saves lives and reduce injuries. Children with a relationship to individuals or organizations in the trucking and bus industries can participate as per entry requirements. Artwork that best illustrates "the importance of commercial motor vehicle drivers buckling up" with the overarching message "Safety Belts Save Lives" will win the grand prizes in each of the two age categories.

An awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (May 3-9,  2015) celebrations aimed at increasing awareness about work safety - being safe on the job.

Download your entry form today.

2014 Winning Artwork 

 


First grader Annie Yu from Edison, New Jersey, is the grand prize winner of the Kindergarten through second grade age group for the 2014 "Be Ready, Be Buckled" art contest."

Third grader Heather Li from Orlando, Florida, won top honors in the third through sixth grade age group for the 2014 "Be Ready, Be Buckled" art contest.
Freight Alert Prepare Now for Commercial Vehicle Pass System

LOCATION:

Statewide
As drivers and trucking companies prepare for winter weather, please familiarize yourselves with WSDOT's Commercial Vehicle Pass System at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/commercialvehicle/detourpass.htm.

 

The pass system was designed to help companies keep their goods moving during severe weather or other disruptive events.

 

The state activates the Commercial Vehicle Pass System when major freight highways are closed or severely restricted and a limited-capacity detour is available. CV passes (detour passes) are issued based on the detour's capacity and the priority of goods carried. Passes will not be issued until the state has determined the detour is safe, possibly the second or third day of a highway closure.

Messages about CV passes will be sent through this Freight Alert system. Information also will be available online at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/freight/trucking/.

 

Passes can be requested online from the CV detour pass web page once a detour and pass system has been activated. Each pass is only good for a specific three-hour window and date. Passes must be printed out and displayed in the truck's window.

IRS Backs Off HVUT e-file Rule
In a final regulation published in the Federal Register of October 29, 2014 (page 64313), the Internal Revenue Service has rescinded the requirement that anyone paying the federal heavy vehicle use tax for more than 24 vehicles must file and pay electronically.  That rule has been in place since 2011.  IRS states in the introduction to the amended regulation that the change was made to reduce the burden on small businesses.  In the future, IRS will accept paper filings of the HVUT Form 2290 for fleets of any size.  This should be a welcome change for many carriers, since the requirement for electronic filing meant that nearly all large filers for the HVUT had to use third-party services to do it, and their fees were at least occasionally exorbitant. 
Free Safety Workshops 

The Gift of Safety: Safety Workshops  


Now that the holiday season is quickly approaching, why not give yourself a free gift, the gift of safety, by attending one of our December safety workshops.

 

Topics include:
First Report of Injury
(FROI): When an employee gets hurt, the first thing to do is seek medical attention. The second thing to do is file a first report of injury (FROI) with the employer's workers' compensation carrier.   A FROI is a document all employers are legally obligated to file if an employee gets hurt on the job.  In this session participants will learn why it's so important to file a FROI as quickly as possible and how to correctly fill it out.

 

As OSHA Turns:  In January 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will change the current reporting requirements for accidents. This includes changes to OSHA's partially exempt list for recordkeeping.  In this section we'll discuss the reporting changes, as well as the criteria OSHA uses to decide which business is inspected and how to prepare for the inspection.  

 

Watch, Share and Be Safe: The web and social media have transformed the way we find and view information and entertainment. In the world of safety resources it's no different.  In this part of the workshop we'll introduce you to a number of safety websites and social media outlets that will prove to be valuable tools for workplace safety.   

 

Dates and Locations of Workshops

December 9 -   Butte -  La Quinta Inn and Suites
December 10 -  Bozeman  - Holiday Inn
December 11 -  Miles City  - Sleep Inn and Suites
December 12 -  Billings -  Big Horn Resort (New Location)
December 16 - Kalispell  - Hampton Inn
December 17 - Missoula -  Best Western Grant Creek Inn
December 18 -  Helena -  Holiday Inn Express
December 19 -  Great Falls -  Holiday Inn


Workshops take place from 8:30-Noon. To register go to safemt.com. For more information call Kirk Smith at 800-332-6102.

Save The Date RMRSR 2015