When it comes to managing a fleet, there’s a lot to consider. Not only do you have to ensure every vehicle under your care is safe and operational, but there are also specific Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requirements you must follow in order to remain compliant and avoid potential fines. One complex and often overlooked requirement relates to driver qualification (DQ) files. DQ files are critical documents motor carriers  are required to develop and maintain by law. These documents serve as proof that motor carriers are hiring qualified drivers and that those drivers are legally fit for the road throughout their years of service. Motor carriers must have a DQ file for each one of their drivers—including owner/operators—regardless of how many drivers they have in their fleet. The FMCSA has very specific guidelines on the types of information carriers need to have in DQ files as well as how often that information needs to be reviewed. Failing to maintain DQ files as required by the FMCSA can trigger fines, audits or even lead to your business being placed out of service. Further complicating matters, record retention is a common area of confusion when it comes to DQ files. … Continue reading A Guide to Creating and Updating Driver Qualification Files

Although OSHA has established many standards to protect employees in the workplace, the agency doesn’t have any official regulations regarding everyday heat exposure. According to the National Safety Council, nearly 250 people die from exposure to excessive temperatures every year, and many more experience injuries from heat exhaustion and heat stroke. As a result, over 130 organizations have recently petitioned OSHA to create a standard that provides at-risk employees with rest breaks, access to shade and other protections. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended that OSHA create a heat standard three times—in 1972, 1986 and 2016. Even though OSHA has supported NIOSH’s framework for the standard and created heat exposure guidelines, the agency can only examine heat-specific hazards under its general duty clause for employers to provide a generally safe work environment. All businesses need to take care to protect their workforces from dangerously high temperatures. Here are some strategies you can use to protect your employees from the heat: Increase ventilation at your workplace by using air conditioning, setting up cooling fans or installing insulation around hot surfaces. Encourage employees to download the OSHA-NIOSH heat safety tool on their iOS or Android smartphone. Train … Continue reading Groups Petition OSHA to Add Official Standard for Heat Exposure

The NOAA defines a Storm Surge as the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured as the height of the water above the normal predicted astronomical tide. The surge is caused primarily by a storm’s winds pushing water onshore. The amplitude of the storm surge at any given location depends on the orientation of the coast line with the storm track; the intensity, size, and speed of the storm; and the local bathymetry.   Storm surges can be extremely dangerous as they usually happen after the area has suffered a severe weather event, that locals sometimes think that there is no more danger and they let their guard down. The “2018 CoreLogic Storm Surge Report” includes the following takeaways for insurers and their policyholders living and doing business in affected states: 9 million homes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk for hurricane storm surge damage Those homes have $1.6 trillion in potential reconstruction costs Florida, Louisiana and Texas top the list of states with the most homes at risk “While industry predictions for this year’s storm season indicate average activity levels, associated storm surge risk remains an important consideration for residential and commercial properties in the 19 states analyzed,” Dr. … Continue reading What is Storm Surge and How it Puts 10 States at Risk