COVID-19 and Trucking

COVID-19 and Trucking: Industry News for September 21

/ Compliance, Drivers, Fleet Management, FMCSA / CDL, CLP, COVID-19 and trucking industry news, fmcsa, medical certification

Selected COVID-19 and trucking industry news that may impact your business.

As of September 21, 2020:

FMCSA Extends Waivers for CDLs, Medical Certificates

Scopelitis Transportation Consulting

Friday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a waiver extending the terms of several existing waivers set to expire September 30, 2020. This latest action waives:

  1. The maximum validity of a CLP/CDL due for renewal on or after March 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020.
  2. The requirement that CLP holders wait 14 days before taking the required CDL skills test until December 31, 2020.
  3. The requirement that a driver hold a valid medical certificate provided the driver held medical certificate issued for 90 days or longer pursuant to the following:
    1. Medical certificates that expired after February 29 but before June 1, 2020 are valid until October 31, 2020; and
    2. Medical certificates that expired on or after June 1, 2020 are valid until December 31, 2020.

While FMCSA has provided this waiver and issued a notice of enforcement policy, motor carrier are advised to check with the appropriate state driver’s license agency for specific enforcement policies. To our knowledge, most are following federal guidance.

FMCSA also published several other extensions today including:

  1. Allowing, until December 31, 2020, CLP holders to operate a CMV without the required CDL holder in the front seat. Instead, the CDL holder may be is elsewhere in the cab. This notice also allows States to administer skills tests to out of state CDL applicants;
  2. Allowing, until December 31, 2020, third party skills test examiners to administer the knowledge test without completing a CDL knowledge test training course; and

Providing enforcement discretion to state driver’s licensing agencies that are unable to comply with certain regulatory requirements.

Peeling back the layers of the freight market as spot loads and rates boom

Overdrive

The ghost town that befell spot freight for a roughly two-month run amid shutdown orders due to the COVID-19 outbreak in April and May has since rallied into something of a boom town. Read More

How Are Service Professionals Adapting to the COVID-19 Business Climate?

Worktruck Online

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) conducted a comprehensive survey in Aug. 2020 to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the automotive service industry and its workforce. A key takeaway from the survey is that while 19% of those surveyed have seen an increase in business since the start of the pandemic, 56% reported a decrease in business. Read More

COVID to have lasting effects on shipping supply chain

FreightWaves

The coronavirus will have lasting effects on global supply chains, according to a new survey by Panjiva, a division of S&P Global Market Intelligence. Read More

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