Insights - June 2015 - (Page 6)

gram, he believes CSA is effective in the identification of high-risk motor carriers. Van Steenburg reported that FMCSA is progressing with efforts on several fronts, including its field study on the 34-hour restart provision of its hoursof-service regulations and a rule to be published by September mandating use of electronic logging devices. Operations Committee Approves Task Forces The IANA Operations Committee, at the conclusion of its May 7 meeting, unanimously approved formation of two task forces - one on truck turn times and another on DVIR standardization and education. Also during its meeting, the committee learned from Val Noel, committee chair, that recommendations on hazardous materials placarding may be expected in September; heard that a report on standard safety rules should be coming in September; and received an updated status on the road-ready chassis study which is now in its second phase, with initial findings due in September. In addition, the IANA Operations Committee received updates from Intermodal Interchange Executive Committee working groups covering matters related to equipment return locations, street interchange, and issues involving multiple interchanges for containers and chassis. The committee also received a report on chassis out-of-service data. (See sidebar.) M&R Committee Also Advances Task Forces The IANA Maintenance and Repair Committee likewise advanced a pair of task forces: a new group focused on improved training and certification of intermodal equipment mechanics and reactivation of a group to develop standard procedures for proper removal and installation of chassis wheel ends. Cliff Creech, manager of intermodal contracts and budget at Norfolk Southern Corp., who has assumed chairmanship of the IANA Maintenance and 6 Intermodal Insights | June 2015 Repair Committee, introduced new vice chairmen Jason Zimmerman, director of intermodal operations at Schneider, and Joey Frederick, president of Frederick Intermodal. The committee accepted the recommendations of a report from Kevin Hardy, maintenance and repair manager at Consolidated Chassis Management LLC, who chairs the Chassis Light Theft Avoidance Task Force. The report's findings supported use of secured LED lights, but the panel stopped short of recommending a specific model of light and securement. Other task forces from which the committee also heard reports include those looking at conversions between International Organization for Standardization and Association of American Railroads codes as well as the use of photographic evidence of tire failure. Equipment Out-of-Service Data to Undergo Expanded Analysis The Intermodal Association of North America is considering an expansion of its analysis of equipment out-of-service data while continuing to use such information for industry benchmarking and in prioritizing committee initiatives. These are the next steps according to the May 7 report to the IANA Operations Committee presented by Cliff Creech, manager of intermodal contracts and budget at Norfolk Southern Corp. Creech, who chairs the IANA Maintenance and Repair Committee, said expanded analysis could include comparing the out-of-service data to road service repair experience and to terminal roadability repair experience. He also observed that IANA's Bad Order Equipment Status service could be used to furnish digitized driver vehicle equipment reports, or DVERs, and onterminal bad-order information to individual intermodal equipment providers. Against a backdrop of increasing container shipments by rail, Creech cited Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data showing that out-of-service rates for intermodal chassis, drayage tractors and drivers for Level I standard inspections and Level V vehicle-only inspections have been relatively unchanged over the past four years. The results for each year came in at 32.47 percent in 2011, 32.24 percent in 2012, 32.93 percent in 2013 and 32.82 percent in 2014. Creech said that in 2014, a total of 61 percent of out-of-service inspections involved a chassis, with 43 percent pertaining to just chassis. A total of 53 percent involved drayage tractors, with 34 percent directed to just tractors. He noted that 47 percent of all Level I and Level V inspections conducted in 2014 were in California, where the out-of-service rate is only about 14 percent compared with a nationwide rate of 20.18 percent. Regarding chassis out-of-service rates, Creech reported that, while the 2014 figure of 20.18 percent is up from 19.5 percent in 2013, the rate remains below the 2008 level of 22.27 percent. Four of the top 10 items causing chassis to be placed out of service continue to be related to lights. Tires were cited in two of the top 10 causes but still far behind lights in level of incidence. Meanwhile, drayage tractor out-of-service rates in Level I and Level V inspections decreased to 17.27 percent in 2014, down from 17.96 percent in 2013.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Insights - June 2015

Contents
Federal update
Short-Term Fix Seen for Highways
Proposal Targets Port Performances
Silver Kingpin Award Ballots Due
Spring Business Meeting Focuses on Industry Solutions
IANA Launches Webpage for Scholarship Program
Intermodal EXPO 2015 to Offer Robust Educational Agenda
Equipment Out-of-Service Data to Undergo Expanded Analysis
State Legislative Update
N.J. in Compact, at Least for Now
Freight Report
Yearly Traffic Chart
Sustainability News
Port News
People in the News
In Brief
2015 Sponsors
New Members
Audit Examining FMCSA Processes
Industry Calendar

Insights - June 2015