Overdrive Editorial Director Max Heine and I dug into the FMCSA s data around the DataQs system, doing scads of interviews over the last several months as well, and Olsen s state of Minnesota was one of two states that emerged as a model for a potential national reform effort in early stages as we speak.
When a DataQs challenge cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the carrier, Minnesota offers the chance for an appeal to a review panel that includes not only supervisory staff from the State Patrol itself but also outside representatives from industry, introducing a measure of fairness that has been uncommon for DataQs routed back to the issuing state jurisdiction. In this podcast, Olsen describes the state s full process as well as offers more general advice to motor carriers on succeeding in their DataQs challenge efforts. Take a listen:
February 18, 2021
Join
Overdrive s Todd Dills on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 4 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Pacific, for a live discussion about DOT s DataQs crash and citation review system, featuring Chris Turner, of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, and Chris Haney of Payne Trucking.
The discussion will follow from the issues raised by
Overdrive s Setting the Record Straight series, which debuted Feb. 15. Part of the recent coverage runs through issues of fairness in the system, where since the rise of the CSA scoring system in 2010 there’s been a real “guilty until proven innocent” feeling for many carriers who’ve had to use the system to challenge an errant violation over the years.
CVSA hopes to standardize a "review council" approach to the most difficult of DataQs violation and other appeals in the coming years. Details on Overdrive.
I-35 in Fort Worth remains closed after fatal 100-vehicle pileup
Crews continue work Thursday afternoon to clear a fatal crash that occurred Thursday morning involving dozens of vehicles along I-35W north of Fort Worth, Texas.
The pileup, which occurred around 6:20 a.m. Thursday, was a result of slick and icy roads caused by overnight rain. According to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, around 100 cars and tractor-trailers were involved in the one-mile stretch of wreckage.
Fort Worth police have confirmed five fatalities as of Thursday afternoon, the report adds, with dozens of others injured and transported to local hospitals.
CVSA
An upcoming app from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is offering some nice perks at a much lower price than CVSA membership.
The 2021 CVSA app will be available soon and Kerri Wirachowsky, director of the Roadside Inspection Program at CVSA, is excited about the additional features their latest app offers.
“It’s my new favorite thing,” Wirachowsky said following a recent CVSA webinar that offered updates on out-of-service criteria and inspection bulletins (see below). “I don’t have to carry around my reg book anymore. I don’t have to carry around my out-of-service criteria. It’s there at my fingertips. All of the inspection bulletins are on there. Everything is on there.”