Second Public Listening Session: Hours of Service
Friday, September 14, 2018 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Summary
The FMCSA announces that it will hold a public listening session concerning potential changes to its hours-of-service (HOS) rules for truck drivers. On August 23, 2018, FMCSA published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on four specific aspects of the HOS rules for which the Agency is considering changes: the short-haul HOS limit; the HOS exception for adverse driving conditions; the 30-minute rest break provision; and the split-sleeper berth rule to allow drivers to split their required time in the sleeper berth. In addition, the Agency requested public comment on petitions for rulemaking from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and TruckerNation.org (TruckerNation). The Agency encourages vendors of electronic logging devices (ELDs) to participate to address potential implementation issues should changes to the HOS rules be made.
The listening session will be held at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, DC. The listening session will be streamed live for the benefit of those not able to attend in person. The listening session will allow interested persons to present comments, views, and relevant research on topics mentioned above. All comments will be transcribed and placed in the rulemaking docket for the FMCSA’s consideration.
Date and Location
The listening session will be September 14, 2018, in Washington, DC, at the U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590. The listening session will begin at 1 p.m. (EDT) and end at 3 p.m., or earlier, if all participants wishing to express their views have done so.
Submit questions during the live stream to ListeningSession@dot.gov
Brake Safety Week is September 16-22
CVSA-certified enforcement personnel will conduct roadside inspections on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week, Sept. 16-22, in order to identify and remove CMVs with critical brake violations from our roadways and to call attention to the dangers of faulty brake systems.
Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe CMV operation. Brakes must be routinely inspected and carefully and consistently maintained so they operate and perform to the manufacturer’s specifications throughout the life of the vehicle. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency, posing serious risk to public safety on our roadways.
Data and research are clear:
- According to the U.S Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck Crash Causation (LTCC) Study, 32.7 percent of large trucks with pre-crash violations had brake problems.
- Brake-related violations comprised the largest percentage of out-of-service vehicle violations cited during last year’s International Roadcheck.
- The LTCC Study’s relative risk analysis indicated that large trucks involved in a crash where the braking capacity of the truck was critical were 50 percent more likely to have a brake violation than were trucks involved in crashes where the truck’s braking capacity was not critical.
- According to the LTCC Study, of the trucks involved in brake-critical crashes, 45.5 percent had brake violations, compared with 29.9 percent of trucks involved in crashes of the same type where the braking was not relevant.
- Results from last year’s Brake Safety Day found that 14 percent of all inspections conducted during that one-day brake safety initiative resulted in a CMV being placed out of service for brake-related violations.
Brake Safety Week aims to reduce the number of crashes caused by poorly maintained braking systems on CMVs by conducting roadside mechanical fitness inspections and removing dangerous vehicles from our roadways. In addition to inspections and enforcement, outreach efforts by law enforcement agencies to educate drivers, mechanics, owner-operators and others on the importance of proper brake maintenance, operation and performance are integral to the success of the safety initiative.
During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. Inspections conducted will include inspection of brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts; air or hydraulic fluid leaks; defective rotor conditions; measurement of pushrod travel; mismatched air chamber sizes across axles; air reservoir integrity and mounting; worn linings, pads, drums or rotors; required brake-system warning devices; and other brake-system components. Vehicles with defective or out-of-adjustment brakes will be placed out of service.
In addition, in the 12 jurisdictions using performance-based brake testing (PBBT)equipment, vehicle braking efficiency will be measured. PBBTs measure the cumulative brake force for the entire vehicle and divide it by the total vehicle weight to determine overall vehicle braking efficiency. The minimum braking efficiency for trucks is 43.5 percent, required by 393.52 of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.
Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake Program, sponsored by CVSA in partnership with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Fair Housing Update – Special Edition – HUD vs Facebook Fair Housing Case
If you advertise on Facebook, you should read this Special Edition of MHI’s Fair Housing Update dealing with the recent Fair Housing case HUD has filed against Facebook.
Wolf Administration Provides Update on Statewide ‘Resurface PA’ Initiative
Long-range paving contracts underway after aggressive pothole patching effort
Harrisburg, PA – PennDOT is moving ahead with accelerated repaving contracts after applying more than 109,000 tons of patching material and improving more than 1,000 miles of roads through July to deal with the widespread outbreak of potholes following the long destructive winter season.
“PennDOT has accelerated its work to repair potholes and resurface roads after a difficult winter, but more work is required, and our paving contracts are aimed at shoring up pavements to better resist pothole formation,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “With 40,000 miles of road to maintain, PennDOT faces a tough challenge fixing every pavement problem, but its crews have worked tirelessly to address the problems.”
Under the Resurface PA initiative, PennDOT has mounted an aggressive campaign to accelerate repaving interstates and attacking potholes across the state’s 40,000 miles of PennDOT-maintained roads, the nation’s fifth largest such system. The program calls for an additional $7 million being invested in seven interstate maintenance projects covering potholes and other repairs on 78 miles of roads this year. In addition, these additional investments are planned:
- $30 million in transportation infrastructure investment funding for interstate improvements;
- $60 million in PennDOT investments from interstate-project bid savings being reinvested in resurfacing; and
- $62 million in additional funding for interstate preservation projects.
Together, these commitments will make 17 interstate paving and preservation projects covering 255 miles happen at least two years sooner than scheduled, with projects beginning this year and next year. These accelerated projects, which will preserve the pavement surfaces for at least five to six years, build on the 85 interstate projects covering more than 775 miles that are underway or expected to begin or finish this year.
A significant part of the work is being financed using savings from other projects since Governor Wolf took office.
Examples of some of the paving contracts that are in process or design:
Interstate 78
- From mile marker 16 to Route 61, 5.9 miles in Berks County
Interstate 79
- From mile marker 178 to 182.5, 6.5 miles in Erie County
Interstate 80
- From I‐380 to Route 115, 10 miles in Monroe County
- About 4 miles in Luzerne County and then from the Luzerne County line to the Monroe County line, 26 miles in Carbon County
- Nine miles in Jefferson County
Interstate 81
- From the Luzerne County line to Mile Marker 185.5 in Lackawanna County, including bridge work. 7 miles.
- 28 miles in Luzerne County, from Sugar Notch to Avoca
- From Gordon to Frackville, 11.9 miles in Schuylkill County
- From Mahanoy to McAdoo, 16.7 miles in Schuylkill County
- From Ravine to Hegins, 12.5 miles in Schuylkill County
Interstate 83
- From Route 262 to Carlisle Road, 3.4 miles in York and Cumberland counties
Interstate 84
- Interchange area with Interstate 81, between Exits 185 and 186 on I-81 and from I-81 to Exit 2 on I-84 in Lackawanna County, 7 miles
Interstate 95
- Approximately 6 miles of I-95 in Philadelphia and another 17 miles in Delaware County
Interstate 180
- From the Market Street Bridge to the Loyalsock Creek bridge, 9.7 miles in Lycoming County
Interstate 380
- From the Monroe County line to Interstate 84, 15 miles in Lackawanna County
- From Interstate 80 to Route 940,5.1 miles in Monroe County
Interstate 376
- From the Fort Pitt Bridge to Edgewood, 14.8 miles in Allegheny County
Other state routes where repairs have been made this year:
Adams County – Routes 15, 30, 94, 97, and 394. Also, 18 secondary routes.
Allegheny County – Interstates 79 and 376, Routes 19, 22, 28, 30, 51, 60, 65, 121, 136, 400, 837, 885, and 910. Also, 59 secondary routes.
Armstrong County – Routes 28, 66, 128, 156, 210, 268, 422, and 839. Also, 57 secondary routes.
Beaver County – Interstate 376, Routes 18, 30, 51, 65, 68, 151, 168, 288, 351, 551, 588, and 989. Also, 55 secondary routes.
Bedford County – Interstate 70, Routes 26, 30, 31, 36, and 96. Also, 14 secondary routes.
Berks County – Interstates 78 and 176, Routes 12, 61, 100, 183, 222, 419, 422, 562, 625, and 662. Also, 28 secondary routes.
Blair County – Interstate 99, Routes 22, 36, 164, 764, and 866. Also, 14 secondary routes.
Bradford County – Routes 6, 14, 187, 199, 220, 367, 409, 414, 467, 514, and 706. Also, 50 secondary routes.
Bucks County – Interstate 95, Routes 1, 32, 63, 113, 132, 152, 202, 213, 232, 263, 309, 313, 332, 413, 513, 532, 563, 611, and 663. Also, 107 secondary routes.
Butler County – Interstate 79, Routes 8, 19, 38, 58, 68, 108, 173, 228, 308, 356, 422, and 528. Also, 46 secondary routes.
Cambria County – Routes 22, 53, 56, 160, 164, 219, 240, 271, 403, 756, 865, and 869. Also, 32 secondary routes.
Cameron County – Routes 46, 120, and 872. Also, 2 secondary routes.
Carbon County – Interstate 80, Routes 93, 209, 248, 309, 443, 534, 902, and 940. Also, 23 secondary routes.
Centre County – Interstates 80 and 99, Routes 26, 45, 64, 144, 192, 322, 350, 445, 504, and 550. Also, 12 secondary routes.
Chester County – Routes 1, 3, 30, 41, 52, 82, 100, 202, 272, 322, 345, 352, 372, 401, 472, 796, 841, 896, and 926. Also, 52 secondary routes.
Clarion County – Interstate 80, Routes 36, 66, 68, 208, 322, 536 and 861. Also, 9 secondary routes.
Clearfield County – Interstate 80, Routes 36, 53, 119, 153, 219, 253, 255, 322, 410, 453, 729, 865, 879, and 970. Also, 38 secondary routes.
Clinton County – Interstate 80, Routes 120, 144, and 150. Also, 3 secondary routes.
Columbia County – Interstate 80, Routes 11, 61, 118, 254, 339, and 487. Also, 26 secondary routes.
Crawford County – Interstate 79, Routes 6, 8, 18, 19, 27, 77, 98, 173, 198, 285, 322, 408, and 886. Also, 41 secondary routes.
Cumberland County – Interstates 81 and 83, Routes 11, 15, 34, 94, and 641. Also, 1 secondary route.
Dauphin County – Interstates 81, 83 and 283, Routes 22, 25, 39, 147, 209, 225, 230, 300, 325, 422, 441, and 743. Also, 25 secondary routes.
Delaware County – Interstate 95, Routes 1, 3, 13, 30, 202, 252, 291, 320, 322, and 352. Also, 39 secondary routes.
Elk County – Routes 120, 153, 219, 255, 321, 555, 948, and 949. Also, 17 secondary routes.
Erie County – Interstates 86, 79 and 90, Routes 5, 6, 8, 18, 19, 20, 77, 79, 86, 89, 90, 197, 226, 290, 426, 474, 505, 531, 699, 832, and 955. Also, 50 secondary routes.
Fayette County – Routes 40, 51, 119, 166, 201, 381, 653, and 819. Also, 16 secondary routes.
Forest County – Routes 36 and 62. Also, 2 secondary routes.
Franklin County – Routes 11, 16, 30, 75, 163, 233, 416, 433, 456, 533, 696, and 997. Also, 17 secondary routes.
Fulton County – Interstate 70, Routes 30, 522, 643, 655, and 928. Also, 6 secondary routes.
Greene County – Interstate 79, Routes 18, 19, 21, 88, 188, 218, and 221. Also, 26 secondary routes.
Huntingdon County – Routes 22, 26 35, 350, 550, and 665. Also, 6 secondary routes.
Indiana County – Routes 22, 36, 56, 85, 119, 210, 217, 286, 403, 422, 553, and 954. Also, 38 secondary routes.
Jefferson County – Interstate 80, Routes 28, 36, 119, 310, 322, 949, and 950. Also 23 secondary routes.
Juniata County – Routes 22, 75, 104, 235, 333, and 850. Also, 5 secondary routes.
Lackawanna County – Routes 6, 171, 247, 267, 307, 407, 435, 438, 590, and 632. Also, 26 secondary routes.
Lancaster County – Routes 23, 30, 72, 222, 230, 241, 272, 300, 322, 340, 372, 441, 462, 472, 501, 625, 722, 741, 743, 772, 897, and 999. Also, 38 secondary routes.
Lawrence County – Routes 18, 108, 168, 208, 224, 288, 351, 422, 551, and 956. Also, 13 secondary routes.
Lebanon County – Routes 72, 117, 322, 341, 419, 422, 501, 645, 897, and 934. Also, 26 secondary routes.
Lehigh County – Interstate 78, Routes 22, 29, 100, 145, 309, 329, 863, 873, and 987. Also, 47 secondary routes.
Lycoming County – Interstate 180, Routes 14, 15, 42, 44, 87, 118, 220, 239, 284, 287, 405, 414, 442, 654, 864, and 973. Also, 30 secondary routes.
Luzerne County – Routes 11, 29, 115, 118, 239, 307, 309, 315, 415, 437, 615, 924, and 940. Also, 77 secondary routes.
McKean County – Routes 6, 46, 59, 66, 146, 219, 246, 321, 346, 446, 646 and 770. Also, 18 secondary routes.
Mercer County – Interstates 79, 80 and 376, Routes 18, 19, 58, 62, 79, 80, 158, 173, 208, 258, 318, 358, 376, 518, 718, 846, and 965. Also, 53 secondary routes.
Mifflin County – Route 2002.
Monroe County – Interstates 80 and 380, Routes 33, 115, 191, 209, 314, 390, 402, 447, 534, 611, and 940. Also, 17 secondary routes.
Montgomery County – Interstates 76 and 476, Routes 23, 29. 30, 63, 73, 100, 113, 152, 202, 263, 309, 320, 332, 363, 422, 463, 563, 611, and 663. Also, 75 secondary routes.
Montour County – Interstate 80, and 7 secondary routes.
Northampton County – Interstate 78, Routes 22, 33, 145, 191, 248, 378, 412, 512, 611, 946, and 987. Also, 42 secondary routes.
Northumberland County – Routes 11, 44, 45, 61, 125, 147, 642, and 890. Also, 20 secondary routes.
Philadelphia – Interstates 76, 95 and 676, Routes 1, 3, 30, 73, 291, and 611. Also, 19 secondary routes.
Pike County – Routes 6, 447, 590, and 739. Also, 8 secondary routes.
Perry County – Routes 34 and 849. Also, 9 secondary routes.
Potter County – Routes 6, 44, 49, 244, 449, and 872. Also, 12 secondary routes.
Schuylkill County – Interstate 81, Routes, 25, 54, 61, 125, 183, 209, 309, 339, 443, 501, 645, 895, 901, and 924. Also, 33 secondary routes.
Snyder County – Routes 11, 15, 35, 104, 204, 235, and 522. Also, 21 secondary routes.
Somerset County – Routes 30, 31, 40, 219, 403, 523, and 669. Also, 23 secondary routes.
Sullivan County – Routes 42, 87, 154, and 220. Also, 10 secondary routes.
Susquehanna County – Routes 11, 29, 92, 106, 167, 171, 247, 267, 371, 374, 425, 492, 547, 706, 848, and 858. Also, 54 secondary routes.
Tioga County – Routes 6, 14, 15, 287, 349, 549, and 660. Also, 34 secondary routes.
Union County – Routes 15, 45, 192, and 304. Also, 13 secondary routes.
Warren County – Routes 6, 27, 62, 69, 426, and 957. Also, 22 secondary routes.
Washington County – Interstates 70 and 79, Routes 18, 19, 22, 40, 50, 88, 221, 231, 331, 481, 519, 837, 844, and 980. Also, 80 secondary routes.
Wayne County – Routes 6, 170, 191, 196, 247, 296, 370, 371, 507, and 652. Also, 43 secondary routes.
Westmoreland County – Interstate 70, Routes 22, 30, 31, 51, 56, 66, 119, 130, 136, 156, 201, 217, 259, 286, 356, 366, 381, 400, 711, 780, 819, 906, 981, 982, and 993. Also, 111 secondary routes.
Wyoming County – Routes 6, 11, 29, 87, 92, 107, 187, 292, 307, and 367. Also, 28 secondary routes.
Venango County – Interstate 80, Routes 8, 38, 62, 80, 157, 208, 227, and 322. Also, 28 secondary routes.
York County – Interstate 83, Routes 15, 24, 30, 74, 94, 116, 124, 181, 194, 214. 234, 295, 425, 462, 516, 616, and 851.
Also, 58 secondary routes.
Through the end of July, PennDOT used 109,007 tons of patching material, compared to 101,326 tons during the same period in 2017. Department forces improved more than 1,800 miles of roads between January and the beginning of August, including pothole and other work. Also, the number of pothole concerns reported to PennDOT this year climbed to 15,154 through the end of July compared to 7,261 in 2017 and 4,135 in 2016. The investment in pothole repairs totaled $41 million through July and an additional $31 million in repairs is planned through October. This is in addition to the Resurface PA contracted paving.
Motorists can report potholes and other highway-maintenance concerns on state routes at www.customercare.penndot.gov or by calling PennDOT’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623.) In addition to the potholes addressed through continued monitoring by PennDOT crews, 96 percent of the more than 12,365 pothole concerns reported to PennDOT were addressed through May 21.
Motorists are asked to be as specific as possible when providing locations of maintenance concerns. Motorists should report the county, municipality, street name, and state route number, which can be found on small black and white signs posted along state highways. In addition, a description of any familiar landmarks would be helpful for PennDOT to locate the problem area.
Maintenance concerns will be corrected as soon as possible. Emergency road repairs, such as road wash-outs, are handled on a top-priority basis.
The 1-800-FIX-ROAD number should not be used to report traffic accidents, disabled vehicles or other emergencies. Motorists should continue to call 911 to report these types of emergencies.
To learn about how potholes form and how PennDOT addresses them, view the departmen’s “Pothole Patrol” video on its YouTube page, www.youtube.com/pennsylvaniadot.
Join the conversation on social media with #PotholePatrol. Visit PennDOT on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentoftransportation and Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot, or visit us on Twitter at @PennDOTNews.
No shortage of fall races for Pennsylvania voters to ponder
By Mark Scolforo
The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Midterm elections under a revamped congressional district map are certain to help transform Pennsylvania’s delegation to Congress this fall. The governor and a U.S. senator, both Democrats, will learn in three months whether voters think they deserve another term. And the status of Republican majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, large margins by historical measures, hangs in the balance.
Pennsylvania voters will have much to sort out in the general election, with advertising and campaign events certain to ramp up once they return from the beach, family reunions and Labor Day picnicking.
The state’s partisan division has made it a perennial electoral battleground, and the run-up to the Nov. 6 general election will undoubtedly bring a blanket of television ads, a forest of yard signs and an army of candidates aiming to persuade the state’s inscrutable independents and finicky undecideds.
Here’s a look at what the fall campaign season will hold for voters in the Keystone State:
CONGRESSIONAL RACES
The state Supreme Court’s decision to throw out the congressional map Republicans drew in 2011 and replace it with district lines approved by the court’s Democratic majority has fueled close contests to fill Pennsylvania’s 18 seats in Congress. Under the 2011 map, Republicans won 13 seats in three straight elections, even as Democrats dominated in statewide elections.
This will be the first election under the new map, considered less favorable to Republicans, but still could produce a Republican majority. Even without changes to district boundaries, this is a remarkable election because the seven vacant seats represent Pennsylvania’s largest such number in decades.
Two first-time Democratic candidates are favored to flip Republican-held seats in suburban Philadelphia: Mary Gay Scanlon in a seat formerly held by Republican Patrick Meehan, who resigned in April amid an ethics scandal; and Chrissy Houlahan in a seat currently held by Republican Rep. Ryan Costello, who is not seeking re-election.
Meanwhile, three other contests are being fought in closely divided districts: Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb and Republican Rep. Keith Rothfus for a suburban Pittsburgh seat; Republican Marty Nothstein and Democrat Susan Wild for an Allentown-area seat; and Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democrat Scott Wallace for a suburban Philadelphia seat.
GOVERNOR
Four years ago, Tom Wolf was coming off winning a largely self-financed Democratic primary and was a few months away from unseating first-term Republican Gov. Tom Corbett.
These days Wolf is touting his record as a freshman governor and hoping to fend off an aggressive challenge from Republican Scott Wagner, who owns a waste-hauling business and resigned his state Senate seat after winning May’s three-way GOP gubernatorial primary.
Wolf’s approval ratings are in decent shape, but in Wagner he faces a tenacious opponent who got himself elected to the Senate by doing what many thought was impossible: organizing a write-in campaign to wrest the nomination away from the party’s endorsed candidate. The two men have not agreed to a debate schedule. Whether Wolf or Wagner wins, the state will get a new lieutenant governor. Braddock Mayor John Fetterman upset Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Stack in the Democratic primary. Wagner’s running mate is Jeff Bartos.
SENATE
Four-term U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a former Hazleton mayor, is challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a former state treasurer and auditor general. Casey, the son of the late former Gov. Robert P. Casey, has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, while Barletta is among the president’s most reliable defenders. Casey is seeking a third term.
Barletta has badly lagged Casey in fundraising, and no independent poll puts him within striking distance. The race has hardly drawn any national attention, while the parties battling for U.S. Senate control in November’s election are focused on races in at least 10 other states. Trump was in northeastern Pennsylvania a few days ago to campaign for Barletta.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Republicans hold commanding margins in both chambers — 121-82 in the House and 34-16 in the Senate. Democratic strategists say flipping either chamber isn’t realistic, but they are hoping for gains, and a large number of Republican vacancies has given them an opening.
In the House, Democrats have candidates in 20 of the 21 open Republican seats, while the GOP has challengers in just 5 of the 12 Democratic openings.
All five Senate vacancies are Republicans: Sens. John Eichelberger, Chuck McIlhinney, Stewart Greenleaf, Randy Vulakovich and Wagner.
SMALLER LEGISLATURE
The House passed a bill that would shrink itself from 203 members to 151, and cut the Senate from 50 to 38 members, before the senators stripped out the part that applied to them and sent it back. It’s currently pending in the House, but it will not be on the fall ballot. If it passes by the end of November, which is far from certain, a referendum will be scheduled for the spring primary.
Supporters had said it could make the Legislature easier to manage, and some saw an opportunity for modest cost savings. Skeptics doubted there would be majority support, when push came to shove, to vote to cut their own ranks.
REDISTRICTING AMENDMENT
A proposed constitutional amendment to revamp how the state draws legislative and congressional boundaries gained some momentum this year after the court battle produced a new congressional map. Senate Republicans, with two Democratic votes, passed a plan to have district lines drawn by a commission. The panel would consist of members chosen by legislative leaders and the governor. The Senate-passed proposal also would drastically change the election of statewide appeals court judges, having them run in districts.
That bill is currently pending in the state House, where more than 600 amendments have been filed. It appears to be stalled. Constitutional amendment advertising rules mean it’s probably already too late to have any new system in place to redraw lines as a result of the 2020 census.
Mark Scolforo covers state government for The Associated Press in Harrisburg. Contact him at mscolforo@ap.org, or follow on Twitter: @houseofbuddy.
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