On The Horizon - August 5, 2024

MTA Annual Convention

Driver of the Month

Congratulations Taylor Oberg of Raymond Corcoran Trucking, Inc for being selected May Driver of the Month! Taylor is always doing the right thing even when nobody is looking. In January 2024, Taylor assisted a tow truck driver that had went in the ditch near Grayling Creek in the West Yellowstone Park boundary. In March 2024, Taylor also stopped on Highway 12 and helped a farmer put out four different grass fires between Baker and Miles City, MT.  

How Truck Drivers Can Effectively Use an Engine Brake

Modern diesel engines perform exceptionally well at 1,100 to 1,200 rpm. They deliver peak torque just a few hundred rpm above idle, and peak horsepower somewhere around 1,500 or 1,600 rpm. But what happens if the engine runs faster than that? Well, your engine brake will work a lot better.

A lot of drivers don’t realize that engine brakes are designed to operate at or above 2,000 rpm.

Fleets really emphasize fuel economy these days. Most have invested in gear-fast/run-slow downsped drivelines to take full advantage of the fuel savings associated with low engine speed. Unfortunately, low engine speed doesn’t help engine brakes do their job very effectively. At speeds around 1,200 rpm, the engine brake delivers about half the retarding power it’s capable of. Read More

FMCSA Wants Authority to Enforce Freight Broker Violations Amid Rising Fraud

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has asked Congress to give the agency the statutory authority to assess civil penalties for unauthorized brokerage violations — both the double-brokering and fraud problems as well as a significant increase it has seen in household goods consumer complaints.

The report to Congress was in response to the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which required FMCSA to report on efforts to enforce regulations regarding unlawful broker activities.

The agency noted that a 2019 DOT Administrative Law Judge decision, Darlene Riojas et al., put a hamper on its enforcement efforts. Read More

Will's Safety Message

WorkSafe Montana has some great information on aging workforces. Read on for some great information!

MINIMIZING COMPLACENCY IN OLDER WORKERS



Older workers are quite capable of learning new skills, tasks and procedures, but they may experience discomfort with technology and other changes that younger workers often embrace. Sometimes with good reason, older workers may be resistant to or skeptical of the “next big thing” as they have been around long enough to see things come and go. But as people age, it can also be more difficult mentally to deal with change and easier to stay with or revert to the old way of doing things.

As older workers may be set in their existing habits, procedures and skill sets, complacency can set in as well as risk-taking shortcuts. No matter the root cause of a complacent attitude, it can happen in two ways:

Intentional complacency happens when an employee knows that the activity they are performing is not safe and that there is a significant amount of risk associated with the activity. This employee is usually acting against a company policy or official procedure.

Habitual complacency happens when an employee may be on autopilot. This employee knows the risks but has been doing the activity “that way” for so long they are no longer as alert to the risks and hazards.

To help reduce complacency and the risk of injury among your workforce, try the following:

KEEP TRAINING FRESH AND HANDS-ON

• Allow appropriate time for training. Consider implementing self-paced learning schedules.

• Make help easily available and accessible.

• Ensure that the training environment is free from distractions.

• Use well-organized training material with relevant information highlighted.

• Address concerns about equipment or technology.

• Provide enough practice to reinforce learning.

• Provide an active learning situation, allowing workers to experience new, safer ways to accomplish tasks.

• Communicate and reinforce that “old dogs can learn new tricks.”

• Make training and refreshers mandatory – everybody in the company works safely.

DISCUSS AND EDUCATE

• Have an open conversation about employees’ concerns with a new procedure or training.

• Identify solutions to prevent them from going back to old habits.

• Ask for suggestions on how to perform a task better.

• Use their experience to help teach the new procedure, equipment or training curriculum.

• Ask them to share a story of an accident with the old process. Then compare how the new method could eliminate or reduce the chance of that accident happening.

• Be clear about the “so what.” Articulate clearly your end goal and the reasons for the new procedures, systems or job tasks.

Stay Safe!