The 2021 Transportation Safety Conference was held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine, on September 20 and 21. The focus of this two-day event was to provide a premiere professional development experience for members of the Maine Motor Transport Association and the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association.
The list of presentations and conference photos are on the MMTA website.
Day 1 – September 20, 2021
Guidelines for compliance of commercial motor vehicles (CMV) and CMV drivers engaged in cross-border traffic, Jim Tash, Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer
Focus on preventing foreign nationals from competing with US truckers on loads moving point to point (i.e., cabotage) within our borders as a protection measure.
How to prepare your fleet for the Canadian ELD mandate, Travis Baskin, KeepTruckin
Key differences between electronic logging device (ELD) rules in Canada compared to the United States.
Offsite and Remote Onsite Investigations, Eric Adair, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Remote investigations using virtual meetings is ideal for getting to know the transportation owners, although phone calls, email and snail mail methods are also used which aren’t as effective.
Minimum requirements for entry-level commercial vehicle operators, Brendan Shaughnessy, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) established new minimum training standards for entry-level drivers which includes a mix of theory training and behind-the-wheel training.
Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, Stacy Johnson, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Since the implementation on January 6, 2020, the Clearinghouse holds data for driver drug and alcohol violations which is needed for pre-employment checks on prospective new hires.
Dashboard video cameras and applications to driver safety, Norman Patchell, H.O. Bouchard
Dashboard cameras with accompanying software provides detailed event behaviors such as driver distraction, tailgating, seat belt violations, cell phone usage, and even drowsiness. Professional truck drivers can be ranked based on their performance on the road.
Actual footage of close calls, near misses and collisions, Scott Clark, Savage
Advantages of utilizing forward and rear-facing dash cameras in trucks provide both legal protection of the business/driver as well as a learning tool for professional truck drivers.
CMV Crash Investigations, Specialist Pat Munzing & Lieutenant Aaron Hayden, Maine State Police
The Reconstruction Unit of the Maine State Police collects evidence of a crash scene to report how the event occurred not necessarily who was at fault using tools such as onsite interviews, Evidence Data Recorder Tool, ECU (black box) Data Collection, and a GPS-enabled drone. Maine differs from other states in that the primary causes of commercial vehicle crashes are mostly caused by passenger cars.
Day 2 – September 21, 2021
Nuclear Verdicts – Can they be avoided? Mark Laurusevage, Great West Casualty
Defined as any verdict totaling $10M or more, these verdicts have risen 967% from 2010 to 2018 across the country. The number one tool to fight these decisions is establishing a safety culture within the transportation industry. This culture needs to be more important than company profits.
Highway safety hypocrisy and dangers of driving intexicated, Pat Moody, AAA
We all know driving intoxicated is wrong. We need to speak up when someone is driving intexicated. Multi-tasking isn’t an ideal behavior when driving. The worst offenders are NOT teenagers. In fact, the primary age group for texting while driving is 25 to 39. Primary factor for teenage accidents is driving with friends in the vehicle.
ATRI’s young driver research, Daniel Murray, ATRI
If motor carriers focused on the professional truck drivers’ top 10 industry issues, then the top 10 commercial driver issues would be resolved. Professional truck drivers represent the most old people and the fewest young people in all industries in the US.
Go. Your Way. Campaign, Brian Parke, MMTA
In ten years, 50% of the workforce, in the professional truck driving industry, retires. The MMTA is sponsoring a multi-year initiative to attract Generation Z to the industry through social media, short videos and providing zero percent loans to qualifying students to obtain their commercial driver’s license. A marketing firm was hired in early 2021 to develop a campaign which includes how to obtain a commercial driver’s license as well as a peek into the different workforce areas of the trucking industry. Several short videos, using an influencer, have been produced with a focus on professional driving, technicians, office support, and being a courier.
Legislative Report, Joe Edwards, Maine Jobs Council
Maine ranks in the lower ten in the US in many critical areas such as economy, business climate, jobs, income, and workforce. The Council is seeking the assistance of their membership to better the workforce climate in Maine.
The second day ended with the Annual Meeting of the MMTA Workers’ Comp Trust.
Transportation Safety Conference 2021 Sponsors
We are grateful for our event sponsors. Your support is what made this event such a success. Thank you.
Title Sponsors:
- Great West Casualty
- Old Republic Insurance Company of Canada
Annual Sponsors:
- ADUSA Transportation
- Bangor Savings Bank
- Bangor Truck & Trailer
- HO Bouchard
- Brown Dog Carriers & Logistics
- RF Chamberland
- Chapman Trucking
- Cote Crane & Rigging
- Dead River Company
- DISA
- Dysart’s
- FedEx
- Great West Casualty
- Hartt Transportation Systems
- RC Moore Transportation
- PAF Transportation
- Poland Spring
- Pottle’s Transportation
- Savage
- Sibley Transportation
- United Insurance
- UPS
- Walmart
- Conference Sponsors:
- MMTA Worker’s Compensation Trust
- Sazerac
- Palmer Atlantic Insurance and Risk Services
- WS Emerson Company
Breakfast Sponsor:
- Hartt Transportation Systems
Lunch Sponsor:
- Irving
Reception Sponsor:
- KeepTruckin
Transportation Sponsor:
- Country Coach Charters
Speaker Sponsor:
- RH Foster
Presentation Sponsor:
- TrucBrush