November 23, 2015: MCM Weekly Newsletter |
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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 Nov 26 & 27 MCM Office Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday Dec 9 Billings Safety Meeting Meeting info TBD Dec 17 Missoula Safety Meeting Location: Perkins, 12:00p - 1:00p Speaker & Topic TBD Dec 25 MCM Office Closed for Christmas Holiday
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Heavy Truck Definition Survey
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The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is sponsoring a research project to investigate disparities in the definitions of heavy trucks to help the trucking industry and enforcement officials to understand pertinent regulations and to assist with future legislature to clarify these definitions and language. This project aims to uncover ambiguity and discrepancies existent in the federal and state level rules, laws, and regulations regarding heavy trucks. For that purpose, the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University is developing a survey in order to:
- Collect and document comments from commercial vehicle operators, practitioners, and law enforcement regarding Montana state and federal regulations on heavy truck operation, safety, and registration.
- Use the information to identify ambiguity existent in regulations and improve clarity and cohesion.
We would like to have your inputs on this survey by November 28th, 2015 to collect issues that enforcement officials and the trucking industry have interpreting different definitions of large trucks in rules, laws, and regulations. Thank you for your input.
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Regulatory Alert
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Changes to the procedures medical examiners must follow to report physical exam results as well as revisions to the medical examination report form and certificate go into effect December 22, 2015.
Make sure your medical examiners are using the correct medical forms after Dec. 21, 2015! Beginning on Dec. 22, 2015 (but no sooner), examiners must use a new Medical Examination Report Form, known as the MCSA-5875 (the long medical exam form), and a new Medical Examiner's Certificate (medical card), the MCSA-5876. Forms that are currently in use may not be used after Dec. 21, 2015, even though the old and new forms are substantially similar.
There is no grace period for transitioning from the 2012 forms to the new forms. The 2012 forms and certificates must be used for medical exams conducted on or before December 21, 2015 and cannot be used after that time. The new 2015 forms must be used for medical exams conducted on or after December 22, 2015 and cannot be used prior to that date.
** Please also note that the 2012 version of medical forms and certificates that are inside any driver qualification files you may have in stock, should be removed and replaced with the new version If they are going to be used for a medical exam performed after December 21st, 2015.
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Understanding How Much and Where You Deploy Resources in Your Safety Initiatives
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Dear Motor Carrier:
We need your help. Understanding how much and where you deploy resources in your safety initiatives will allow us to quantify what the industry spends on safety each year. This is imperative as we represent you and the industry here in Washington, DC. Therefore, we are asking you to participate in a short survey available at http://trck.ng/SafetyStudy. You might recall that we sent a letter earlier this year asking you to fill out a similar, but much longer, survey. We have shortened the questionnaire significantly to aid your participation. You can download this much abbreviated survey at the above link.
This short survey seeks information on the trucking industry's safety related expenditures. The goal is to help improve ATA's understanding of the types of safety programs currently in use, as well as estimate the annual industry investment of such practices. The survey will also result in the publication of a safety investment benchmarking tool for carriers to evaluate company expenditures with their peer groups.
As a participant, you will receive a complimentary copy of the safety benchmark tool.
As with all of ATA's surveys, your data is held in the strictest of confidence. No individual carrier data will be disclosed. Please feel free to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement if you would like. Please complete and return the questionnaire and optional Non-Disclosure Agreement to ATA's Economics Research Assistant Laurel Leitner at LLeitner@trucking.org no later than December 31, 2015.
Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Laurel at 703-838-1935 or LLeitner@trucking.org.
Thank you in advance for your assistance with this vitally important project.
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Decker Truck Line's Jerry Schad Joins Million Mile Safe Driver Team
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FORT DODGE, Iowa, Nov. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Decker Truck Line, Inc. recently honored owner operator Jerry Schad for achieving membership in Decker's Million Mile Safe Driver Team during a ceremony at its Fort Dodge headquarters. Decker Vice President Dale Decker, along with Todd Smith and Michael Erritt, presented Schad with a plaque honoring his outstanding accomplishment.
Schad was also recently honored as Decker's Driver of the Month for October, 2015, the third time he has received that award since 2010.
A 5-year veteran with Decker, Schad first served for 4 years as a company driver out of Decker's Missoula, Montana terminal and later became an owner operator when he bought his first truck 19 months ago. He recently upgraded to his second truck, a 2013 Peterbilt 386.
"I was the first driver hired for the Missoula terminal and I've been working with Decker ever since," Schad said. "I had always dreamed of becoming an owner operator and I felt like if I was going to do it, Decker was the company where I could be successful. I'm thankful at how good Decker has treated me. They are a good family business and I get to interact with a lot of great people here."
In addition to his plaque, Schad also received an embroidered Million Miler jacket and silver ring to honor his achievement. His name will also be featured on a permanent Million Mile Safe Driver Team plaque displayed at the Decker headquarters.
A native of Ocala, Florida, Schad and his wife Jennifer are parents of one son, Cody, a daughter, Courtney and they have one grandson, Jameson.
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Free Safety Workshops
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Montana's workers are exposed to a range of workplace hazards on a daily basis. But how do we keep these exposures to a minimum? Join us this December as we help you and your co-workers stay injury free as we present Working Together for a Safer Montana.
We All Share the Responsibility - Let's face it; no matter what you do for work, on the job safety is always a concern. But the question remains, who is responsible for the safety of an employee? We contend everyone in your workplace must play a part. In this session we'll help you break down the roles and responsibilities of each of your employees so you get everyone in your organization working together for safety.
Not Only for Office Workers - Ergonomics are one of the most overlooked issues in workplace safety, yet they affect everyone from the receptionist to the traveling salesman to a line worker at a manufacturing facility. Simply put, ergonomics has to do with proper posture, managing forces and an excessive repetitive motion. In this section of the workshop we'll give you the tips you need to tackle everyday ergonomic issues, as well as open the floor for discussion to for participants to share their ergonomic challenges and solutions.
Dates and Locations
December 1 - Kalispell - Hampton Inn
December 2 - Missoula - Best Western Grant Creek Inn
December 3 - Helena - Holiday Inn Express
December 4 - Great Falls - Holiday Inn
December 8 - Butte - La Quinta Inn
December 10 - Miles City - Sleep Inn & Suites
December 11 - Billings - Big Horn Resort
December 15 - Bozeman - Holiday Inn
Interested? Register Now. The free trainings take place from 8:30 am - Noon. If you have questions, call 800-332-6102 extension 5361 (Kirk Smith).
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| November Driver of the Month Nominations |
We are now accepting driver of the month applications for November 2015. An application is attached, and you may also download an application from our home page at www.mttrucking.org under the Driver of the Month tab. All applications must be in by Monday, November 30 at 8:00 a.m.
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