Episode 19 Show Notes

FMCSA

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/

Personal Conveyance

Personal conveyance is the movement of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) for personal use while off-duty. A driver may record time operating a CMV for personal conveyance as off-duty only when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier. The CMV may be used for personal conveyance even if it is laden, since the load is not being transported for the commercial benefit of the motor carrier at that time. Personal conveyance does not reduce a driver’s or motor carrier’s responsibility to operate a CMV safely. Motor carriers can establish personal conveyance limitations either within the scope of, or more restrictive than, the guidance provided here.

Click here for a recorded presentation that provides an overview of the revised personal conveyance guidance; the corresponding powerpoint slides are available here.

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions regarding personal conveyance and FMCSA’s recent regulatory guidance.  

FMCSA updates the guidance for § 395.8 Driver’s Record of Duty Status to read as follows:

Question 26: Under what circumstances may a driver operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) as a personal conveyance?

Guidance: A driver may record time operating a CMV for personal conveyance (i.e., for personal use or reasons) as off-duty only when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier. The CMV may be used for personal conveyance even if it is laden, since the load is not being transported for the commercial benefit of the carrier at that time. Personal conveyance does not reduce a driver’s or motor carrier’s responsibility to operate a CMV safely. Motor carriers can establish personal conveyance limitations either within the scope of, or more restrictive than, this guidance, such as banning use of a CMV for personal conveyance purposes, imposing a distance limitation on personal conveyance, or prohibiting personal conveyance while the CMV is laden.

Examples of Appropriate Uses of a CMV While Off-duty for Personal Conveyance

The following are examples of appropriate uses of a CMV while off-duty for personal conveyance include, but are not limited to:

  1. Time spent traveling from a driver’s en route lodging (such as a motel or truck stop) to restaurants and entertainment facilities.
  2. Commuting between the driver’s terminal and his or her residence, between trailer-drop lots and the driver’s residence, and between work sites and his or her residence. In these scenarios, the commuting distance combined with the release from work and start to work times must allow the driver enough time to obtain the required restorative rest as to ensure the driver is not fatigued. 
  3. Time spent traveling to a nearby, reasonable, safe location to obtain required rest after loading or unloading. The time driving under personal conveyance must allow the driver adequate time to obtain the required rest in accordance with minimum off-duty periods under 49 CFR 395.3(a)(1) (property-carrying vehicles) or 395.5(a) (passenger-carrying vehicles) before returning to on-duty driving, and the resting location must be the first such location reasonably available.
  4. Moving a CMV at the request of a safety official during the driver’s off-duty time
  5. Time spent traveling in a motorcoach without passengers to en route lodging (such as motel or truck stop), or to restaurants and entertainment facilities and back to the lodging. In this scenario, the driver of the motorcoach can claim personal conveyance provided the driver is off-duty. Other off-duty drivers may be on board the vehicle, and are not considered passengers.
  6. Time spent transporting personal property while off-duty.
  7. Authorized use of a CMV to travel home after working at an offsite location. 

Examples of Uses of a CMV that Would Not Qualify as Personal Conveyance

The following are examples of uses of a CMV that would not qualify as personal conveyance include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. The movement of a CMV in order to enhance the operational readiness of a motor carrier. For example, bypassing available resting locations in order to get closer to the next loading or unloading point or other scheduled motor carrier destination.
  2. After delivering a towed unit, and the towing unit no longer meets the definition of a CMV, the driver returns to the point of origin under the direction of the motor carrier to pick up another towed unit.
  3. Continuation of a CMV trip in interstate commerce in order to fulfill a business purpose, including bobtailing or operating with an empty trailer in order to retrieve another load or repositioning a CMV (tractor or trailer) at the direction of the motor carrier.
  4. Time spent driving a passenger-carrying CMV while passenger(s) are on board. Off-duty drivers are not considered passengers when traveling to a common destination of their own choice within the scope of this guidance.  
  5. Time spent transporting a CMV to a facility to have vehicle maintenance performed.
  6. After being placed out of service for exceeding the maximum periods permitted under part 395, time spent driving to a location to obtain required rest, unless so directed by an enforcement officer at the scene.
  7. Time spent traveling to a motor carrier’s terminal after loading or unloading from a shipper or a receiver.
  8. Time spent operating a motorcoach when luggage is stowed, the passengers have disembarked and the driver has been directed to deliver the luggage.

 

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Pileup involving 6 tractor trailers reported on Pennsylvania interstate  

 CDL Life—By Ashley -October 14, 2022

A major multi-vehicle crash was reported in Greenwich Township, Pennsylvania, on Friday morning.

The crash was reported around 7:30 a.m. at mile marker 35 on westbound I-78 in Berks County.

According to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm, the crash involved six tractor trailers, one sedan, and a pickup pulling a horse trailer.

At least two people were injured in the crash.

Trooper Beohm said that the

no injuries to the horses in the trailer.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

 

 

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NASCAR hauler involved in crash in Flagstaff

Duncan Phenix Digital Reporter for 

Las Vegas 8NewsNow.com

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include information provided by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegas native and NASCAR driver Riley Herbst’s car hauler appears to have been involved in a crash on its way to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The hauler is operated by Stewart-Haas Racing.

In a video taken by Sprint Cup driver Spencer Hill the #98 hauler is seen leaning over half off a road. The cab of the truck is also seen in the video being dug into the dirt shoulder up against a barrier.

Up Next – Riley Herbst makes incredible save in Xfinity qualifying at Las Vegas

Hill wrote on Twitter, “Holy cow. Not good. The 98 Xfinity hauler was involved in a bad wreck in Flagstaff, AZ on Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully everyone involved is okay.”

(Image: Spencer Hill, New Mexico Motorsports Report)

8 News Now spoke with Hill Wednesday evening and he said the “driver of the hauler was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. Co-driver is okay.”

Stewart-Haas Racing released the following statement on the incident, “Earlier today, the No. 98 NASCAR Xfinity Series Hauler of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Interstate 40 a few miles west of Flagstaff, Arizona. The truck had two occupants and neither was seriously injured, although one was taken to a local hospital for further treatment and observation. No other details regarding their respective conditions are available at this time.

“SHR can confirm that speed was not a factor in the crash. While the rig was damaged, the hauler and its contents appeared relatively unscathed. Plans are already underway for a new rig to hook up to the hauler and deliver it to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in time for Xfinity Series hauler parking at 10:30 a.m. PDT on Friday.”

(Image: Spencer Hill, New Mexico Motorsports Report)

A representative from the Arizona Department of Public Safety said that the driver of the tractor-trailer told investigators that he “fainted behind the wheel.” Officials say the driver was traveling at 75 miles per hour westbound on Interstate 40 before losing control of the truck and striking a guardrail.

“It doesn’t appear the vehicles were damaged but unknown on the damage to the truck,” said Bart Graves with the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Investigators say the driver was taken to a hospital for evaluation, and his condition is unknown. The roadway was closed for several hours, officials say.

 

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#1

DOCTORS FIND 55 BATTERIES IN WOMAN’S BODY

“HIGHEST REPORTED NUMBER EVER!”

Surgeons “milked” four of the cylinders from her colon to her rectum and then retrieved them from the anus.

The terms “emergency” and “AAA” typically connote a roadside incident. Certain doctors in Dublin, however, are unlikely to ever associate those terms with anything but a recent surgery during which they found dozens of batteries in a 66-year-old woman’s colon and stomach.

A report of the incident,published Thursday in the Irish Medical Journal, detailed the patient’s arrival at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, where an X-ray revealed the foreign objects in her body. Miraculously, none were obstructing her gastrointestinal tract,according to Live Science. Doctors initially decided to wait in hopes that she would pass the batteries out of her body naturally. Though she released five AA batteries in the first week, subsequent X-rays showed that most were still stuck inside — and the woman began experiencing abdominal pain.

After realizing that her distended stomach was hanging above the pubic bone due to the weight of the batteries, surgeons cut into her abdomen and successfully removed 46 of them.

Unfortunately for all involved, four additional batteries remained trapped in the colon. As described in the report, doctors “milked” them into her rectum to remove them from her anus. This brought the total amount of batteries she ingested — both AA and AAA — to a whopping 55.

“To the best of our knowledge, this case represents the highest reported number of batteries ingested at a single point in time,” the journal article said.

While the incident certainly inspired curious bafflement, the report reminded readers that the ingestion of batteries is a serious, albeit “unusual,” method of self-harm. Its authors noted that the act can cause severe issues, including “mucosal injury, perforation, [and] obstruction.”

“The potential of cylindrical batteries to result in acute surgical emergencies should not be underestimated,” the report stated.

#2

Testicle Festival  Montana State Society Offers All The Balls You Can Eat

$20 Buys All The Bull Testicles You Can Eat And Whisky You Can Drink!

There’s quite a deal being offered in DC this weekend, assuming you have the balls to stomach it. On Saturday night, roughly 500 people are expected to gather at the Arlington chapter of the American Legion for the 7th annual Montana State Society Testicle Festival – also known as ‘Testy Fest.’

This juice frontier delicacy is a special joy for Northwestern folks living inside (or just beyond) the Beltway.

For just $20 ($25 at the door), the festival offers “all the Crown Royal you can drink and all the balls you can eat,” festival organizer Brittany Beauliue says.  Bull testicles, that is, also known as Rocky Mountain oysters or cowboy caviar.

Festival organizers say the event will have 60 pounds of prepared bull testicles, sliced, fried and peeled to perfection. If the event seems foreign to your typical night out in DC, that’s because it’s actually a Big Sky State tradition. “It’s a great party in Montana,” Beaulieu explains. “Why not try to recreate the same thing here in Washington? It’s unlike anything else out here.”

#3

Spilled K-Y Lube Leads To Evacuation Of Alabama Post Office

This certainly didn’t make the mail come faster.

A post office in Guntersville, Ala. was evacuated Tuesday after some K-Y Intense Arousal gel leaked out of a package and spread throughout the post office at about 9 a.m., WAFF reported.

Not knowing what the slippery substance was, post office officials evacuated the place and called in hazmat teams. Two employees felt sick after coming into contact with the gel according to AL.com. They were hospitalized, but are now in stable condition. Additionally, 12 – 15 other packages were contaminated with the material.

The gel was addressed to someone in the “entertainment” industry, according to the Associated Press. The recipient’s name has not been released.USPS postal inspector Tony Robinson told AL.com he has no idea why the employees felt sick, since the substance was proven to be non-toxic. However, Amazon.com reviews for the product state that the gel “burned to a painful degree” and “caused a rash”.Officials say the post office will contact the sender of the gel and instruct him or her on how to properly stuff it in to prevent future package mishaps.

#4

“I SCRATCHED MY ITCH” WALMART BLAZE

CAUSES $8.9 MILLION IN DAMAGE AUTHORITIES SAY

Joel Lee Reynolds carried a longstanding grudge against his local Walmart in Lebanon, Oregon his friends would tell police. Rather than boycotting the business, Reynolds used motor oil and chlorine tablets to ignite a noxious blaze in the Supercenter’s swimming pool aisle in May, prosecutors said. The fire caused nearly $9 million in damage. It took 10 days for the store to fully re-open. According to court records, Reynolds sent a text message to a friend on the day of the blaze. “I scratched my itch,” the message read. He was sentenced to 7 years.