Safety Bulletin - February is Heart Month: Are you at Risk of Heart Disease

This week's Idealease Safety Bulletin brings us some important heart health reminders as we enter into the month of February!

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AMERICAN HEART MONTH THIS FEBRUARY!

Each year February reminds us that it is a great time to commit to a healthy lifestyle to contribute to heart health! 

Cardiovascular disease (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure) is the #1 killer of men and women in the US, as well as a leading cause of disability.  It costs the United States over $300 BILLION each year in the cost of health care services, medications and lost productivity! 

Remember, small changes can lead to a lifetime of heart health! 

RECOGNIZING A STROKE:

Don't let lack of awareness create disaster! Failing to recognize symptoms of a stroke can lead to significant brain damage or death of the victim.  

Oftentimes you can recognize a stroke and take immediate action by asking 3 simple questions:

1. S: Ask the person to SMILE
2. T: Ask the person to TALK and speak a simple sentence (coherently - ie. "It is sunny out today")
3. R: Ask the individual to RAISE BOTH arms

If you notice difficulty with ANY ONE of the above tasks, take immediate action and call 911 to describe the symptoms to a dispatcher. 

NEW SIGN OF STROKE: 

• Ask person to stick out their tongue - if it appears 'crooked' in that it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke! 

Remember to ACT F-A-S-T! 

F: FACE - one side is drooping

A: ARMS - arm weakness

S: SPEECH - speech difficulty

T: TIME - time to call an ambulance

Canada Still Facing ELD Deadline without Product Certification

Transport Canada has established a June 12, 2021 deadline for compliance with new regulations for Electronic Logging Devices to record driver hours of service, however it is behind schedule on using 3rd party certification of allowed ELDs.

Mike Millian, President of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, stated in an industry briefing on 1/19 that all ELDs allowed for use in Canada must be certified by an independent third party and posted on the Transport Canada website.  To date, only one certification body (FPInnovations) has been authorized to evaluate ELDs, and no ELDs are currently certified for use in Canada.

TC changed the technical standards and testing procedures for ELDs on October 26, 2020.  It takes 4-6 weeks to certify a device after an ELD manufacturer applies for certification.  Also, no ELDs are currently under consideration for certification.  So, at the earliest it will be the middle of March before any ELDs might be certified.

The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada has asked TC for a delay of enforcement for 6-12 months to allow for appropriate certification of ELDs.  NPTC has also requested an enforcement delay for vehicles in cross-border traffic.  TC has indicated it will stick to its June 12, 2021 deadline for compliance even though there are no certified devices.

The ELD mandate applies to all federally regulated motor carriers that operate in Canada, meaning inter-provincial or international transportation.  Vehicles rented for 30 days or less are excluded from the ELD requirements.  It is not certain whether ELDs that meet U.S. standards will be certified as compliant with the Canadian rules.

How Often is a Motor Carrier Required to Review the Motor Vehicle Record of a Driver that Operates a Commercial Motor Vehicle?

FMCSA Regulations require a motor carrier qualifying a new driver to obtain and review the motor vehicle record of the driver within 30 days of the date of hire CFR 391.23.  However, as a best practice, it is recommended that the MVR be obtained and reviewed prior to making an offer of employment to the driver applicant.

Regulations then require that at least once every 12 months the motor carrier makes an inquiry into the driving record of each driver it employs, covering at least the preceding 12 months, to the appropriate agency of every State in which the driver held a commercial motor vehicle operator's license or permit during the time period CFR 391.25.

Effective January 30, 2015 when a driver renews a medical certification the motor carrier must obtain a new MVR for the state of licensure with the medical certification information on the MVR.

How can a carrier verify that a driver is physically qualified? 

Obtain a copy of the driver’s driving record and include it in the driver’s qualification file. Motor carriers will also have to make sure the driver’s record includes valid and current medical certificate/card information.

Therefore, every time a medical certificate/card is renewed and turned in to the driver licensing agency, the motor carrier will need to obtain a new driving record that reflects this current information and place it in the driver’s qualification file.

The motor carrier will need to take timing into account when obtaining the new MVR that reflects the driver’s current medical status. Once a driver turns in his/her medical certificate/card to the state licensing agency, the state has 10 days to enter this information into the driver’s driving record. During this time the motor carrier must keep a copy of the driver’s medical certificate/card in the driver’s qualification file. Regulations allow a motor carrier to maintain this copy of the certificate/card as proof of medical qualification for a maximum of 15 days from the date it was issued.

The original motor vehicle record that was used to qualify the driver shall be retained for the duration of employment and 3 years after termination.   The motor vehicle records obtained annually after hire can be purged from the files 3 years after the date of issuance.

*The Idealease Safety Bulletin is provided for Idealease locations and their customers and is not to be construed as a complete or exhaustive source of compliance or safety information. The Idealease Safety Bulletin is advisory in nature and does not warrant, guarantee, or otherwise certify compliance with laws, regulations, requirements, or guidelines of any local, state, or Federal agency and/or governing body, or industry standards.