0815 cd proofs
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ÂTRANSCRIPT
DRIVERAUGUSTCONTENTS
VOL. 12/ NO.8/RecruitingMedia
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14 HARD WORKING FLEETS text
20 NEWS & NOTEStext
40 LEGAL LANEtext
53 ADVERTISER’S INDEX
2015
AUGUST 2015// COMPANY DRIVER// 1
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We’re Butler Transport, and we believe that our success can only be measured by the success of our drivers. That’s why we offer our drivers a top-ranked pay and benefit package backed by our promise to always be
there with consistency, integrity, respect and support.
“As a lease operator here at Butler Transport you can expect Great miles and a great pay as well as continual support from load planners and driver
managers to help you to succeed. So if your ready to be successful and ready to be a partner in excellence give Butler a call today.”
—Mickey Zimmerman 8 year partner in excellence.
We now offer orientation pay- $150.00 for 2 days.LEASE PURCHASE AVAILABLE
Allowing small pets
We want to be your Partner In Excellence. Give us a call. You’ll be glad you did!
Call, text or apply online TODAY!
You’ve Got The DriveWe’ve Got The Direction
Call 1-800-528-7825Text “Butler” to 50298 Apply Online: www.butlertransport.comEmail: [email protected]
Partners In Excellence
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just the miles you run!
Contact us today (888) 532-6939 or visit Veriha.com
NOW HIRING driving professionals … • Guaranteed Weekly Pay provides income protection! • Guaranteed Home Time • Regional and over-the-road opportunities • Hiring in WI, MN, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH, PA, SC, NC & GA
Because you’re worth more than
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Hard Working Fleets
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
14// COMPANY DRIVER// AUGUST 2015
Spotlight on: SNL Distribution Services Corporation
Fleet attracts drivers with safety culture, benefits and pay, and home time
Offering dedicated routes, a passion for safety and getting drivers home every day are
top priorities for SNL Distribution. Founded in 1991 and based in Birmingham, Alabama, SNL Distribution Services is a dedicated contract carrier with 650 drivers who haul bakery products across the southern United States for customers like Butter Krust, Sun-beam, Cobblestone Mills and more. A fami-ly-owned company with annual revenues of $105 million, CEO and founder Jack Johnson is involved in the day-to-day operations. Paul Zuniga is SNL’s director of safety and driver recruitment.
Q: What equipment do drivers run?Johnson: We have Macks and Freightlin-ers, mostly single-axle day cabs. We have about 1,600 53-foot and 57-foot trailers.
Q: What do you do to re-cruit drivers? Zuniga: We have sever-al recruitment programs and have just started a
finishing program for drivers who are either just out of school or don’t have the required ex-perience for us to hire. The finishing program pairs those drivers with a driver trainer for four to six weeks, during which time the drivers are paid.
Q: What do you do to retain drivers?Johnson: Because of our service area and routes, we get our drivers home every day. Only our team drivers are out overnight, and even then it’s just for one night. We also recog-nize and reward our drivers for various accom-plishments and milestones, and we keep them in modern equipment spec’d for driver comfort and safety with features like lane departure and forward warning systems. We also pay our
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HARD WORKING FLEETS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
16// COMPANY DRIVER// AUGUST 2015
CD
drivers well; they make be-tween $50,000 and $70,000 a year, and we
offer safety bonuses. Zuniga: I think drivers really value a good benefits package right now. A lot of companies aren’t offering benefits, or if they are, they are offering them at a ridiculous rate. We offer ben-efits at a very reasonable rate, and as a matter of fact, we haven’t changed the rates for many years. The company absorbs these costs.
Q: When your drivers refer potential hires, what do they say is the biggest advantage to driving for SNL?Zuniga: There are many reasons, but the big-
gest are SNL’s benefits and wages, the fact that drivers are home every day, and our open door policy that means anyone can talk to manage-ment at any time.
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20//COMPANY DRIVER//AUGUST 2015
News & NotesTransport America reveals new pay increase
Transport America, one of the fastest growing carriers, recently announced a pay increase for its owner operators. As a result of the pay change, now all of the company’s independent contractors will be able to earn $1 per mile.
“Every single person from top to bottom here at Transport America is working together to provide a great experience for our drivers,” said Mike Bash, director of recruiting opera-tions for Transport America. “We’re invested in our drivers’ careers as much as they are, and they understand that we¹re able to pro-vide them with the support and opportunities needed for success. This pay increase for our owner operators is just a small piece of the large vision we have for our drivers’ futures.”
In addition, the pay increase, which took effect July 1st, eliminates the difference be-tween hazmat and non-hazmat base pay.
This increase in mileage pay comes on the heels of pay package enhancements that took
effect on May 1st. The previous changes in-cluded improved fuel and DEF discounts with 100 percent pass through to the owner opera-tor, decreasing drivers’ cost anywhere from 10-60 cents per gallon.
Along with the competitive pay at Transport America, owner operators also have the lux-ury of choosing from multiple lease options, and can expect base plate bonus, $2,000 sign on bonus with own truck, no forced dispatch, $1,000 referral bonus and consistent miles. Transport America currently has open posi-tions for solo drivers, teams and owner opera-tors for regional, dedicated and OTR routes. For more information on Transport America, call 877-218-5342.
Government radioactive material haulers get hours exemption
The FMCSA has granted an exemption of its 30-minute hours-of-service break requirement to the U.S. Department of Energy for the department’s contract motor carriers transporting security-sensitive
radioactive materials.
The regulatory agency said these carriers and drivers will be treated the same as those transporting explosives. The exempted drivers will be al-lowed to use 30 minutes or more of on-duty “attendance time” to meet the HOS rest break requirements providing they do not perform any other work during the break.
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NEWS & NOTES
22//COMPANY DRIVER//AUGUST 2015
The Department of Energy estimated 30 units and 53 drivers would currently be eli-gible for the exemption. The exemption will be effective until June 30, 2017.
Love’s opens new Mississippi location
Love’s Travel Stops has announced the opening of a new location in Poplarville, Miss.
Located along Interstate 59, the new travel stop provides drivers with a place
to rest as well as access to many driver services.
The new store offers gourmet coffee, fresh fruit, gift items, name-brand electronics and an Arby’s restaurant. The 24-hour travel stop also features seven showers, 70 truck parking spaces, a Love’s Truck Tire Care center, RFID cardless fueling and CAT scales.
“We are excited to open another Love’s in Mississippi and offer the ‘Clean Places, Friendly Faces’ Love’s is known for to all drivers there,” said Greg Love, co-CEO of Love’s. “Customers will now have a clean and safe place to buy food, gas and much more.”
For a limited time, professional drivers can earn up to fi ve points with their “My Love Re-wards” loyalty cards at all Love’s locations.
DOT mandate for rollover avoidance systems published, making rule law
The National Highway Traffi c Safety Ad-ministration published a Final Rule n the Fed-eral Register that will require all trucks made Aug. 1, 2017, and after to be equipped will electronic stability control systems to prevent
vehicle rollovers.
The standard requires that truck tractors and certain large buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 26,000 pounds be equipped with these systems.
ESC systems use engine torque control and computer-controlled braking of individual wheels “to assist the driver in maintaining con-trol of the vehicle and maintaining
its heading in situations in which the vehicle is becoming roll unstable or experiencing loss of control,” according to NHTSA.
The mandate is aimed at truck manufactur-ers, not truck buyers and owners, and applies to “typical three-axle tractors.” The mandate only requires stability control systems and not broader active safety systems that brake au-tonomously.
NHTSA’s rule was required by the 2012-passed MAP-21 highway funding act, and NHTSA says the rule will prevent be-tween 1,424 and 1,759 crashes a year and pre-
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WE UNDERSTAND WHAT DRIVES YOU.
BE YOUROWN BOSS.
To learn more about Werner’s exciting new pay scale for owner operators, scan the QR code with your QR code reader or visit drivewerner.com.
888.577.4378 | DRIVEWERNER.COM
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NEWS & NOTES
24//COMPANY DRIVER//AUGUST 2015
vent between 40 and 49 deaths a year.
Bee haulers get HOS exemption from FMCSA
The FMCSA has granted interstate bee haul-ers an exemption of the 30-minute break re-quirement in the hours of service regulations, originally requested by bee farmers in Janu-ary.
The California Farm Bureau Federation re-quested the exemption because bees, while in transit, must have “a flow of cool, fresh air to the hives” and any heat can place the bees in danger. If trucks transporting beehives stop for 30 minutes in warm weather, “the risk of harm to the bees would be significant and pos-sibly fatal.”
FMCSA said the exemption is in line with
the goals and strategies to protect the health of honey bees and other pollinators as stated in the “Presidential Memorandum Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators,” issued on June 20, 2014.
According to the CFBF, there are more than 1,600 beekeepers that transport their hives across the United States. The exemp-tion is limited to interstate bee haulers, with intrastate haulers not included. The 30-minute break exemption is valid during the transpor-tation of bees and doesn’t cover the operation of CMVs after the bees are unloaded.
The exemption is also limited to carriers that have a “satisfactory” safety rating or are “unrated.”FMCSA has granted the exemption for a two-year period, valid through June 19, 2017. CD
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ACHIEVE MORE together
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BayardAdvertising Agency, Inc.
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You can also apply online at:
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It’s time to be valued for all you do. Call 800-878-5093Recruiters are available 7 days a week.
Expect more with Gordon• Pay that respects your time &
hard work• Home Weekly Options• Detention paid after only 1 hour• Award Winning Safety Record• Practical Mileage Pay 3 – 5% Higher
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Legal Lane
By Jim Klepper
40//COMPANY DRIVER// AUGUST 2015
DATAQ CHALLENGES:MYTHS AND FACTS
The myths and facts about how the system works, what to expect, and how the new regulations are
affecting the challenge process.
By now most drivers are aware of the CSA program and that when they receive an inspection, points
are assessed for the violations on it. The DataQ process is the only way to challenge the validity of these violations in most states. This process is completed through an online portal, usually over the course of a month. It is reviewed by a senior officer or DOT official to determine whether the facts and supporting documentation provided give enough information to warrant a change or removal in the violations listed
by the citing officer. If found to be wrong or coded incorrectly, the reviewer makes a correction. If sustained, the reviewer usually gives a detailed explanation as to why the violation will stand.
MythOnly the company can file a DataQ challenge. FactThe DataQ system is set up so that at least 3 parties can file challenges: the driver, the carrier, and the public (e.g. a registered en-
tity such as a law firm). Each of these can file up to two DataQ challenges per inspection.
MythPoints are only removed from the record of the person or entity filing the challenge.FactWhen a challenge is filed and viola-tions are changed or removed, the change is reflected on the profiles of all parties to the inspection. Usu-ally this is both the company and the
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LEGAL LANE
42// COMPANY DRIVER// AUGUST 2015
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driver; however, there are instances where CSA points are assessed only to the com-pany, or even to the intermodal equipment provider.
MythCourt outcomes do not affect CSA challenges at all.FactPursuant to new FMCSA regulations passed on August 23rd, 2014, inspection violations with tickets must be amended to refl ect the results of judicial proceedings. Violations will be removed in the event of a not guilty verdict or a dismissal without costs. If a vio-lation is reduced or amended then the CSA record will refl ect the original violation, but it will be noted “convicted of a different charge”. The point value of the code itself will be set to 1 and any associated out of service fl ags removed. If the ticket is pled or
adjudicated guilty, there will be no relief on associated inspection violations. Note that this new regulation is not retroactive, so any inspection issued prior to August 23rd, 2014 is not subject to its rules, regardless of when the court decision is made or when the chal-lenge is fi led.
MythDataQ challenges are not time sensitive.FactInspections must be returned within 15 days to the local FMCSA branch of the state in which they were given. For most inspec-tions, DataQ challenges can only be fi led up to 2 years from the date they were received. Several states, including Louisiana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, have enacted greater time restrictions on fi ling challeng-es. Additionally, violations are subject to a time weighted severity modifi er which mul-
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LEGAL LANE
44// COMPANY DRIVER// AUGUST 2015
tiplies the points assessed to each violation by three for the first year, by two for the sec-ond year, and by one for the third year. As a result, challenges should be filed as quickly as possible to have the maximum impact.
Filing a challenge and what to expect
Each inspection should be reviewed imme-diately and a challenge filed as quickly as practicable. For violations with associated tickets, the challenge will likely have to wait until the court outcome to achieve any relief, and official court documentation will be required for violations to be removed or changed. For violations without tickets, any type of supporting documentation is crucial: logbook pages, repair invoices, toll receipts, pictures, or any other paperwork can make the difference between a challenge succeed-ing or not.
Response time after filing a DataQ chal-lenge can range from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the state and volume of DataQ challenges filed for review with their FMCSA branch. Typical suggested time is 3 to 4 weeks.
If you are unsatisfied with the results of your challenge, you do have the option to call and ask for clarification from the re-viewer of your challenge. This can be useful either to help you better understand why a violation was not removed or changed, or to help the reviewer better understand your position on the matter.
When considering whether or not to file a second challenge, keep in mind that it will be reviewed by the same person as the first, so simply repeating the challenge will likely be ineffective. CD
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