Technology: Wireless Mobile Communications Tracking Systems

Wireless mobile communications tracking systems use satellite-tracking Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for vehicle location information, as well as satellite and/or cellular communications technologies for two-way communication.

Using mobile communications tracking systems, drivers, dispatchers, and fleet managers can easily communicate during daily operations and emergencies. These systems allow on-site carrier personnel to efficiently send messages, such as load assignments, directly to the truck drivers in near real time. Then, drivers can send messages to dispatchers and respond with current information, such as arrivals and departures.

In addition, the systems can provide on-site carrier personnel with vehicle location information, such as latitude, longitude, and distance from cities, towns, and landmarks. Some systems display the last known locations and position history information of vehicles. As a result, dispatchers know when vehicles are expected to arrive at destinations, and they can relay this information to their customers. By assessing vehicle locations along with operating parameters, carriers can track driver and vehicle performance to conduct more efficient and safe operations.

By wirelessly communicating routing information, specific routes can be pre-determined and last minute route changes can be conveyed to drivers to improve delivery times. In addition, the geo-fencing feature provides alerts to the carrier when a vehicle departs from a set route for appropriate action to be taken.

The use of mobile communications tracking systems can enhance the safety, security, and efficiency of commercial vehicle operations by providing information about asset locations and a direct means of communication between carrier personnel and drivers. To increase security, these systems allow drivers to make real-time contact with carrier personnel in emergency situations. By closely tracking vehicles and assets, opportunities for cargo and vehicle theft can be reduced.

Additional benefits include potential improvements in delivery service and asset utilization through vehicle location and routing information. Human resource management and worker productivity can be enhanced by carriers receiving more accurate status and arrival time information on shipments. Increased visibility into this information can expedite deliveries and help to ensure on-time performance to customers. Furthermore, implementation of mobile communications tracking systems with tethered trailer tracking units have the potential to maximize vehicle utilization and facilitate better trailer inventory management. Overall, this information allows carriers to improve scheduling of deliveries.

The use of mobile communications tracking systems can improve safety when operational maintenance personnel remotely diagnose vehicle-operating parameters to maintain optimum vehicle safety and minimize repair expenses. In addition, safer operations can result from the carrier using information from these systems to monitor driving performance. Increased safety, security, and efficiency also have the potential to lower costs to carriers.

The Dangers of Sleep Apnea

A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Transportation Research Institute of the American Trucking Associations found that almost one-third (28 percent) of commercial truck drivers have mild to severe sleep apnea

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a breathing-related sleep disorder that causes brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. These pauses in breathing can last at least 10 seconds or more and can occur up to 400 times a night. Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that often goes unrecognized and undiagnosed.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

• Loud snoring
• Morning headaches and nausea
• Gasping or choking while sleeping
• Loss of sex drive/impotence
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Irritability and/or feelings of depression
• Disturbed sleep
• Concentration and memory problems
• Frequent nightime urination 

Diagnosing Sleep Apnea
In order to diagnose sleep apnea, your doctor may send you to a sleep center for testing. You may be asked to spend a night at the center, where experts will monitor your sleep.

How Can Sleep Apnea Affect Your Driving?
Because sleep apnea affects your sleep, it also affects your daytime alertness and performance. Untreated sleep apnea can make it difficult for you to stay awake, focus your eyes, and react quickly while driving. In general, studies show that people with untreated sleep apnea have an increased risk of being involved in a fatigue-related motor vehicle crash.

Can You Still Drive if You Have Sleep Apnea?
Yes! While FMCSA regulations do not specifically address sleep apnea, they do prescribe that a person with a medical history or clinical diagnosis of any condition likely to interfere with their ability to drive safely cannot be medically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. However, once successfully treated, a driver may regain their "medically-qualified-to-drive" status. It is important to note that most cases of sleep apnea can be treated successfully.

What are the Obligations of a Motor Carrier Regarding Employees with Sleep Apnea?
A motor carrier may not require or permit a driver to operate a CMV if the driver has a condition — including sleep apnea that would affect his or her ability to safely operate the vehicle.
It is critical that persons with sleep apnea fully use the treatment provided by their doctor. They should not drive if they are not being treated. Being effectively treated, and complying with that treatment, offers the best hope of a commercial driver with sleep apnea to secure the ability to do his or her job safely and be fully alert.

Something to Think About

Trucker Fatigue

 

A large safety concern for truckers is suffering trucker fatigue. This is when a driver becomes exhausted while driving due to lack of sleep, resulting in a possible loss of coordination and response time. While it is very important for drivers to deliver their loads on time, it is also important that the driver factor in enough time to sleep. When a driver feels tired, he/she should pull over and take either a nap or rest. Do not try to push through or supplement little sleep with energy drinks or pills that could cause you to experience a sugar crash, thus making the fatigue worse.

Inclement Weather                                               

Big truck drivers are very often required to drive deliveries through ice, storms, or other inclement weather. Before departing for your delivery destination, check the weather for your chosen route so that you will be aware of any potential weather hazards. Do not try to drive through heavy rain or bad road conditions as this could cause an accident. Pull over and wait for the bad weather to pass or choose a less hazardous route. If the hazard cannot be avoided, make sure that all safety equipment on your truck, such as snow tires or chains, radios and windshield wiper blades, are in good working order.

Drivers: What influences your BASIC score

Your BASICs score is influenced by every roadside inspection you have had within the last 36 months. That warning for speeding you received at a roadside inspection even though you had a clean Level 1 inspection carries the same BASIC’s points as a conviction. Furthermore, if the speeding noted on the inspection report is not broken down to a specific speed, then you receive a flat 5 points to your score. All the points for roadside inspection BASICs can be found at http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/SMSMethodology.pdf  

The way you will be able to contest any points on your BASICs is through DataQ. That website is https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov/login.asp. DataQ contains all your employment, crashes, and drug/alcohol tests for the past five years.

So, what can you do to help yourself? First, obey the law and expect problems with the CSA BASICs within the initial phase. Second, if you find an error or receive a roadside inspection that has any violations on it, you will need to contest those violations on your DataQ. Third, review every ticket to ensure validity.

Operator Fatigue and EOBRs

The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) has begun to tackle operator fatigue through research, enforcement, and new technology. FMCSA has also adopted a specific performance measure in its 2010 Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) to target carriers whose commercial truck drivers demonstrate highrisk behavior.

 Earlier this year, FMCSA also issued a final remedial rule, known as EOBR 1, which requires motor carriers found to have an hours-of-service violation rate of 10 percent or more during a compliance review to install electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) on the carrier’s entire fleet. EOBRs automatically record the number of hours commerical truck drivers spend operating the commercial vehicle. The rule took effect in April 2010 with a 2-year implementation date.

There is nothing basic about BASIC

If you do not know about the CSA 2010 BASIC’s by now, we will provide a quick overview.

The Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories is what are called BASICs. Drivers’ BASICs scores reflect their safety behavior. Information for BASICs scores come from roadside inspections, so whether the result is a clean inspection, a citation, or a warning for a violation, all information gathered during the roadside inspection affects your score as well as your carrier’s score.

The BASICs include:

• Unsafe driving such as careless or dangerous operation
• Fatigued driving such as Hours of Service violations
• Driver fitness such as training, experience, or medical qualification
• Controlled substances and alcohol such as DUI, illegal drugs and misuse of prescription drugs,
• Vehicle maintenance such as improper or inadequate maintenance
• Loading/Cargo Securement such as shifting or spilled cargo, unsafe handling of hazmat, or oversize/overweight violations, and
• Crash/Incident Experience such as patterns of crash involvement

For any big truck driver that believes this is no big issue, it is estimated that 100,000 to 200,000 current drivers will be out of the CDL driver pool as early as 2011.

Hiring And Keeping The Best Drivers

Hiring the most qualified commercial truck drivers you can find is a challenge facing every fleet manager. The most powerful recruiting tool any fleet owner can offer is to treat your current drivers with the respect they deserve. Referrals from your current drivers are more cost effective and productive than any other recruiting technique. Current drivers should be incentivized for their referral efforts.

When an individual is being interviewed for a driving position ensure you thoroughly explain the positive and the negative aspects of the work. Every employee comes with their own set of expectations and it is important that your position can accommodate these expectations. Privately drivers will agree that compensation does not vary significantly from one employer to the next. Drivers also understand that being away from home for extended periods is part of the job. What you think are objectionable aspects of the job may not be critical aspects to the driver. A driver will remember if you listened well and explained all of the job aspects when it’s time to make an employment decision.

When drivers terminate their employment, it is usually due to discord with a dispatcher or supervisor. Drivers leave bosses not jobs. Heightening the standards of respect throughout your organization will go a long way towards retaining drivers. Often it is just a matter of listening to their concerns and explaining why something out of the ordinary or extremely difficult is necessary. The number one way to keep good drivers productive and committed to the company is to make them feel like a valuable part of the organization.