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Heidi Dearinger Business Development Coordinator     |
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Laura Ledbetter Personal Risk Advisor Special Needs Coordinator |
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Jason Mayer Risk Manager |
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Todd Allison Senior Employee Benefits Advisor |
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Commercial Motor Carriers: Update your VMT and PU Data
Did You Know…As a motor carrier, your Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and Power Unit (PU) data from your Motor Carrier Registration form, known as the MCS-150, are used to calculate your Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentiles. If your VMT data is 2009 or older, it will not be used in your calculations when the January Safety Measurement System (SMS) snapshot is posted at the beginning of February. Update your MCS-150 now with your 2010 or 2011 VMT/PU data to ensure FMCSA is using the most accurate data available to calculate your percentiles. Click here to update your MCS-150 information. Under the “Existing Registration Updates” section, choose the first option - “I need to update my USDOT number registration information or file my biennial update.” PLEASE NOTE: The SMS website is updated monthly, so your MCS-150 changes will not be reflected on that site until the next monthly update. You can find the schedule of SMS updates here. MCS-150 updates show up faster on SAFER and the FMCSA Portal websites. Below are a few questions and answers that help to explain the situation. 1) If the VMT data is not updated and is 2009 or older, what impact will this have when the snapshot is posted in the beginning of February? SMS uses VMT data if it has been provided within the last 24 months and references one of the two previous years. So, the January 2012 snapshot (released in early February 2012), will only include data provided within the last 24 months and that has a VMT year of 2010 or later. 2) What will be affected? This could potentially impact a motor carrier’s Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator BASICs results – both which use VMT data in their calculations. 3) How will motors carrier be affected? Motor carriers that currently receive a VMT-based adjustment due to high truck utilization (i.e. more VMT per PU than the average) will cease receiving that adjustment if they do not update their MCS-150 form to reflect more recent data (i.e. VMT year of 2010 or 2011). 4) If they update the information during the month of January will the change be reflected in the January snapshot that is posted in early February? Motor carriers must update their VMT information in the first few weeks of January to avoid this potentially detrimental effect on their Unsafe Drive and Crash Indicator BASIC percentiles. The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the December 16, 2011 snapshot. Check your safety assessment now at:  |
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DOT Self Certification
A new law affecting medical certificates for CDL holders will begin implementation Jan. 30 and be phased in through 2014. On Dec. 1, 2008, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a final rule to require CDL holders to provide a current original or copy of their medical examiner’s certificate to the issuing state driver licensing agency. CDL holders will have to continue carrying a paper copy of their medical certificate (DOT medical card) and carriers also will have to keep a copy of drivers’ medical certificates until Jan. 30, 2014. Starting Jan. 30, those applying or renewing CDLs must certify with their state driver license agencies what interstate or intrastate driving category they fall under. A few states do not require proof of medical fitness for CDL holders driving in intrastate commerce, Washington State does require this. Also on that date, those applying or renewing CDLs under the non-excepted interstate category must provide their DMV with an original or copy of their medical examiner’s certificate. Current CDL holders under this category must self-certify and provide the medical examiner’s certificate to their DMV by Jan. 30, 2014. The purpose of the changes is to link the medical certificate to the CDL and include driver medical record in the Commercial Driver’s License Information System, the federal electronic database. Background: FMCSA: Certifications and Record checks When an individual applies for a CDL, or attempts to renew or update his or her CDL, the State must perform a check of its own database, the Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS), and the National Driver Register (NDR), to ensure the driver is not disqualified and does not possess a license from more than one jurisdiction. If the driver possesses a license from another jurisdiction, the State must require the driver applicant to surrender his/her driver's license issued by that State before issuing a new license. The State must request the complete driving record of the applicant from all jurisdictions where the driver was previously licensed in the past 10 years. Beginning January 30, 2012, for each operator of a commercial motor vehicle required to have a commercial driver's license, the current licensing States must:
If a State determines, in its check of an applicant's license status and record prior to issuing a CDL, or at any time after the CDL is issued, that the applicant has falsified information or any of the required certifications, the State shall at a minimum suspend, cancel, or revoke the person’s CDL or his/her pending application, or disqualify the person from operating a commercial motor vehicle for a period of at least 60 consecutive days. Training video: For more help on this issue, please contact me at jason@ehlinsurance.com |
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One Appointment You Don't Want To Miss
January is the beginning of a new a year and for some employees the start of a new benefits program. While many people are making New Year’s resolutions there is one that I firmly believe everyone should make this year and that is to make an appointment with your doctor for your annual preventive care checkup. Many people tell me they are healthy and don’t have a need to visit their doctor and I tell them at least get your annual preventive care checkup. The purpose of your preventive benefit is to lower your risk of getting sick and to identify if you have a potential health risk. The tests are simple and can potentially save you from having to deal with a long-term illness that may have otherwise been identified early and prevented, i.e., preventive care. |
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