IN THE NEWS

Motorcoach Drivers May be Next to Get
New HOS Rules
FMCSA recently held a public listening session to solicit information, concepts, ideas, and information on hours-of-service (HOS) requirements for motorcoach drivers. The session was held on January 9, 2012 in Grapevine, Texas.

The HOS requirements for motorcoach operators have not been substantially revised in several decades. The current HOS rules for passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicle (CMVs) operations allow up to 10 hours of driving time following 8 consecutive hours off duty. Driving is prohibited after the operator has accumulated 15 hours of on-duty time following 8 consecutive hours off duty (15-hour rule). However, miscellaneous off-duty periods during the day are not counted in the 15-hour window. Therefore, the amount of time between the beginning of the work day and driver completing all driving tasks may exceed 15 hours. More Information.

BusCon 2012: Call for papers
BusCon is accepting proposals for presentations for the 2012 conference, which will take place September 11-12 at Navy Pier in Chicago. General Requirements Proposals for presentations should include the following:
  - An abstract of 100-200 words
  - A brief biography of the presenter or each panel member
     (50-100 words)
  - Presenter contact information

Presentations must be completely unbiased and brand/product neutral. Without exception, materials and presentations must provide solid, take-away value for attendees. Presentations should be submitted by March 30, 2012. View Details.



FMCSA Reminds Carriers to Update VMT,
Power Unit Data
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is reminding commercial motor carriers they they need to update their Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and Power Unit (PU) data on their Motor Carrier Registration form, known as the MCS-150. If the VMT data is 2009 or older, it will not be used in your calculations when the January Safety Measurement System (SMS) snapshot is posted at the beginning of February. Motor carriers that currently receive a VMT-based adjustment due to high truck utilization (i.e. more VMT per PU than the average) will cease receiving that adjustment if they do not update their MCS-150 form to reflect more recent data (i.e. VMT year of 2010 or 2011). Update the MCS-150 now with your 2010 or 2011 VMT/PU data to ensure FMCSA is using the most accurate data available to calculate percentiles. More Information