At Aaall States Auto Transport, we are dedicated to keeping our customers in the know about the auto transport industry. We do so because we want our customers to make the best decision possible when it comes to choosing their car shipping company. In this months recap blog, we will be covering topics such as a free smartphone app released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and information on an ongoing study of mandatory rest periods for commercial drivers.
How the Auto Transport Industry Works
The auto transport market is flooded with competition. It is important to stay up to date on the current industry news and to be able to understand how the auto transport industry works. In the car shipping business, there are auto transport brokers and auto haulers. Some companies do a little of both, but most are divided into brokers or haulers. Because it takes several cars to complete a load, auto brokers are helpful to both customers needing their cars shipped and haulers trying to fill their trucks to capacity.
Who is the FMCSA? And What Do They Do?
Since January 1, 2000, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or FMCSA has been charged with ensuring the safety of commercial motor vehicle operators. The administration covers a wide variety of motor vehicle safety categories from the standards for the issuing of drivers licenses to dissemination of data and analysis to improve motor carrier safety. This blog will be a summary of the relevant news releases distributed by the FMCSA in the month of March to help our readers stay on top of the most recent trends in the auto transport industry.
The Month of March in Review
March 17. The FMCSA launched a new FREE smartphone app to assist interstate bus and truck companies to monitor safety and performance information. The FMCSA launched the app in an effort to track motor vehicle carriers better. Through this data transparency, the FMCSA hopes to remove possible threats from U.S. roadways that involve commercial vehicle carriers. The information is now open to the general public. The app is called QCMobile (QC standing for Query Central). The app is valuable to law enforcement personnel and anyone involved in the auto transport industry. Brokers and customers can now monitor the safety of car transport companies. The app requires no log-in and automatically reveals the federal operating status of the carrier. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. The best place to find the app is iTunes App Store or Google Play.
March 17. The FMCSA released the preliminary study plan to be used for ongoing research on the recommended rest time for drivers following restart breaks. The study is congressionally mandated. The study known as “Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Restart Study” will measure the fatigue and safety of drivers on various sleep schedules in an effort to make regulations on standards for breaks for commercial drivers. The methodology is simple. They measure two groups of drivers. One, which takes two or more nighttime, breaks during 34-hour driving periods, and the other, which takes only one break during the same amount of time. The results of the study will help with defining mandatory rest periods for commercial drivers.
March 30. The FMCSA launched their annual drug and alcohol testing survey. The Department of Transportation randomly selects carriers to submit their drug and alcohol testing results to the FMCSA. The notifications and instructions on how to comply with the mandate were sent through electronic mail. The data results are compiled and based on 2014 data and are due by May 15.
As a customer new to the industry, it is a good idea to know the basics for shipping your car. At Aaall States Auto Transport, we provide our customers with an ongoing educational blog to help them plan their next car transport. The articles provide information on the best season to ship your car to tips to finding a reliable auto transport company. If you have any questions about the industry or the services we provide, feel free to give us a call at 712-823-0443.
