DOT And 2004 In Review

2004 was a busy year for DOT. Here are highlights of the new programs that affect our members.

The new Hours of Service went into effect on January 4, 2004. Last summer they were thrown out, then temporarily back in and extended until September 2005 or until a new Hours of Service rule is passed, whichever comes first. Hopefully everyone is aware of the new Hours of Service rules and how they affect your drivers. You can read all about the new rules in the December 2003 Traffic Bulletin.

A new medical examination form for CDL drivers went into effect on October 1, 2004. This is discussed in the August 2004 Traffic Bulletin. The only significant change was in the blood pressure questions.

The background checks on CDL drivers with hazmat endorsements have been put off so many times that it is hard to remember all the dates of extension. It looks as if the checks will be placed in service in 2005 and may be in place in several states by the time you read this. These are the criminal and fingerprint checks the license bureau is required to do before issuing new or renewing existing hazmat endorsements on CDL licenses. There are proposals being put forward to charge for the hazmat background checks, which is no real surprise. They are talking about fees ranging from $75 to $100.

The DOT Incident Reporting Form was updated and supposed to go into effect on July 1, 2004, but was extended and went into effect on January 1, 2005. You can read all about this new form and the reporting requirements in the January 2005 Traffic Bulletin.

The cylinder visual requalification requirements changed, effective June 1, 2004. This had been extended from an October 1, 2003, deadline. Any of our members filling and requalifying LPG cylinders fall under these new regulations. The major change was that anyone requalifying cylinders by the visual inspection method had to be registered with DOT. You also had to receive a new special requalification identification number, which started with a V and had six numbers. This is outlined in detail in the August 2003 Traffic Bulletin.

Investigations and inquiries required when hiring new drivers changed effective October 30, 2004. Simply stated, the prospective employer still has to inquire and now ask about more details. The past employer is now required to reply within 30 days. Drivers have the right to contest any information they feel is not correct, and that rebuttal must be placed in their file and passed on to any future employers within the three-year inquiry period. This is being done for two good reasons: First, the background checks will be more highly regulated, with fewer loopholes for unsafe drivers to hide behind. Second, it will help with the security background checks.

The security rules require the prospective employer to verify the information on the employee's application form. You can't do that if the past employers don't reply to the inquiries. Now they have to reply. You must inquire into three areas for the past three years of history: state driving records, drug and alcohol issues, and whether the driver had any DOT accidents. All of the details are outlined in the November 2004 Traffic Bulletin.

As you can see, 2004 was a busy year for DOT, and there is more coming for 2005. Hopefully you have all these new changes implemented into your company compliance programs.