This year is about to end and 2018 is just around the corner. There are two items that I want to cover that are very important this month \u2013 a new division of NTA and ELDs. Here at NTA, we have always focused on banding individual truckers and smaller trucking companies together for better service and lower rates, and we have always tried to be a positive and informing entity in the industry. Established in 1990, NTA is a Transportation Benefits Organization (TBO) which helps provide, maintain and enhance the quality of life for Independent Truck Drivers and their families with information and advice on products, services, compliance, health and personal finance necessary for them to succeed.<\/p>\n
With quality of life in mind, we are proud to announce a new insurance division called NT Insurance Services, or NTIS for short. This new agency is going to be our specialty agency. It will provide NTA with specialty programs over and above the normal coverage that other insurance companies provide. The first thing NTIS is going to bring to the table are medical options. Now that ObamaCare is basically done, we are going to do our best to bring to our membership various health, dental and vision plan options. Right now, depending on what state you\u2019re in, we are looking at rates that contain some really low-cost premiums. Stay tuned!<\/p>\n
Since Christmas is almost upon us, here is our gift to you \u2013 if you ever wanted a benefit or service that we don\u2019t already offer to you or your family, now is the time to speak up and let your voice be heard. I am asking you to email me (wayne@ntassoc.com<\/a>) the things you want NTA to offer. We truly listen to our 10-4 readers and our members, so send your \u201cwish list\u201d of benefits and services to me as soon as possible. To see a list of our current benefits and services, visit www.ntassoc.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you are a small carrier or owner operator, now is the time, if you haven\u2019t already done so, to deal with the impending Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate. Assuming nothing changes in the next few weeks, December 18 is the start date of the mandate, and with it the trucking industry will go through one of its biggest transformations since deregulation began in the early 1980s. The change is coming fast, so here are a few tips to help ensure that you and your business aren\u2019t left behind in the process.<\/p>\n It is estimated that about a million trucks still don\u2019t have an ELD installed. That means there will be a big push at the last minute to purchase these devices and get them set up. There may not be enough ELDs to meet the big spike in demand, and you know what happens when demand increases \u2013 prices go up. Avoid an ELD shortage and price gouging by getting compliant as soon as possible. The NTA endorsed \u201cKeepTruckin\u201d package keeps you compliant for just $20 per month with fast delivery. Once you get the device, it only takes a few minutes to install.<\/p>\n The electronic logbook rule doesn\u2019t change the hours of service rules, but you will probably have to start using two duty statuses \u2013 \u201cYard Move\u201d and \u201cPersonal Conveyance\u201d \u2013 that you didn\u2019t use before. That\u2019s because now, whenever the truck is in motion, the ELD is activated. In the days of paper logs, the driver probably would\u2019ve just left a yard move off, and no one would\u2019ve batted an eye. But now, when the driver moves the truck, even if it\u2019s just backing up to the dock, it\u2019s going to be recorded. Train your drivers to mark those as \u201cYard Moves\u201d in their logbooks. Learning how to take advantage of the \u201cPersonal Conveyance\u201d rule will also be key to protecting your drive time. You have to meet three criteria to qualify for the personal conveyance exemption: 1) the driver has to have been relieved from work and all work-related responsibilities; 2) the vehicle must only travel a short distance; and 3) the vehicle can\u2019t be loaded with any freight.<\/p>\n FMCSA has left the second part vague, so it might be a good idea for carriers to create their own policies for what qualifies as a \u201cshort distance\u201d and include that as part of being relieved from work. For reference, in Canada you can\u2019t travel more than about 50 miles. So, if a driver is leaving a receiver and heading to a hotel, he or she can select \u201cpersonal use\u201d on the ELD and the driver would be considered off-duty. The same is true for leaving the hotel for a restaurant, or the driver\u2019s commute between a work location and home (unless the driver has been dispatched from home \u2013 in that case, the driver is considered on-duty).<\/p>\n An owner operator who runs the spot market sometimes needs to be ready to improvise, adapt and overcome obstacles that could derail a successful delivery. Getting held up by a shipper for three or more hours to get loaded can cause missed delivery appointments. Sometimes drivers can camouflage these issues in hopes of never having to deal with the repercussions of a failure to deliver, but ELDs will highlight time management problems throughout our industry. But, with an ELD, \u201cDon\u2019t tell the broker\u201d will soon be replaced with \u201cThe driver is out of hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Letting the broker know immediately when you\u2019ve been delayed is a good start to fixing the problem. The broker might be able to reschedule your appointment for the next available date and time, or maybe not. Some drivers might hesitate because the broker could decide to call another carrier who has the hours and take the load away from them. This could also create difficulties in collecting detention fees or truck-ordered-not-used (TONU) pay, though, if the owner operator never got started with the load. This is why the sooner you let the broker know the better, before even more of your driving time gets wasted.<\/p>\n Although some think there is a grace period for enforcement of the mandate, that is not the case. The FMCSA announced that it won\u2019t place vehicles out of service until April 1, 2018, if they\u2019re found without an ELD, but that doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t have to be compliant until then. Beginning December 18, 2017, you will still receive a citation for not being compliant with the mandate, even though the vehicle won\u2019t be placed out of service \u2013 and you can get cited every time you\u2019re asked to produce driver logs. This will affect your CSA score and your ability to do business. After April 1, if found out of compliance, you can be placed out of service.<\/p>\n Most of you are not happy about this new mandate, and I don\u2019t blame you. But, unless you want to jeopardize your business and your livelihood, I suggest you comply as soon as possible. If you need help or advice about this or any other compliance issue, visit the NTA website at www.ntassoc.com<\/a> or give us a call at (800) 805-0040 \u2013 we are here to help you succeed!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This year is about to end and 2018 is just around the corner. There are two items that I want to cover that are very important this month \u2013 a new division of NTA and ELDs. 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