Are you tired of hearing from me this last month?  Hopefully you have made it through the long resumé and have gleaned a few nuggets of information which will help your business operations.  I will keep this short this month as I have reported most of the information in that resumé.

We are happy to see all of the support we are getting for the new CSA 2010 information on the Submission Report™ .  For anyone that has any questions on its impact on the underwriting process and what they should be looking for, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We are here to help you understand all of this data.

CARGO THEFT – Freightwatch has issued its annual report on U.S. Cargo Theft.  According to Freightwatch, food and drink items were the most popular target for thieves, accounting for 21% of all theft incidents they recorded, and higher then electronics.  In the individual category, televisions were the product stolen most often.  Not an award wanted by any state – New Jersey led the way with the most cargo thefts.  A copy of the report can be viewed here.  Freightwatch also issued its report on the surge in cargo thefts in Mexico, citing the drug violence as a large component of the rise in theft. That report can also be viewed here.

WAREHOUSE OPERATING COSTS – The Boyd Consultants in Princeton released their study on national warehousing costs.  The report indicates a great disparity in costs throughout the country, with a trend for warehousing operations to locate in the Midwest, something to be considered for those marketing that book of business.  A summary of the report is attached here. The Boyd Company has also graciously offered a complementary copy of the full report to CAB subscribers.  If you are interested, please email them at contact@theboydcompany.com, reference your connection to CAB and they will provide you with the full report.

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Happy Holidays Everyone!

Dreaming of a white Christmas took on a whole new meaning here in the Tri-state area. As I write this newsletter I am looking out the window at 30 inches of snow. I am glad Santa could get here before the storm hit, but I do not think it did much for the post Christmas shoppers. 

We here at CAB would like to take a moment to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.  We look forward to working with you to help that happen.

I will keep this short as I have to quickly move on to writing the yearly report That report will be coming your way in the next few weeks.

CSA 2010 –  The FMCSA has no need to change the name of its newest system as it was able to roll out CSA2010 before the end of 2010.   It was touch and go at the end as some industry groups tried to block the roll-out.  That effort was denied by the court.  The first few days that the site was active saw hits of over 22,000 per hour, swamping the system. SafeStat numbers are gone, replaced now with the BASIC system.  Our premium subscribers can already get the information on our site, along with a comprehensive analysis of the carrier’s operations.   

BROKER REGULATIONS – New FMCSA rules will go into effect at the end of January which will require brokers, among other things, to utilize only authorized carriers, to physically survey shipments within 50 miles of the mover or the broker and  only advertise the use of carriers for which the broker has a contract. In 2012 the bond requirement will also go from $10,000 to $25,000. A copy of the final rule can be viewed  here.

HOURS OF SERVICE.- The FMCSA has been busy this month. The new proposed hours of service rules have now been released.  There is not much that was changed.  While the hours have been reduced to 13 hours, a driver can now take a one hour rest and then continue to complete 14 hours of service. The 34 hour restart rule also applies, provided that there are 2 rest periods – from midnight to 6 a.m.  A restart will only be allowed once in a seven day period. The proposed regulations, which are not open to comment can be viewed here.

FOOD SAFETY AND MODERINIZATION ACT – The Act has passed Congress and has gone to the President for signature. Under the new act, the FDA will be able to recall products if there is suspected contamination and will also have control over goods being imported from other countries. It is expected that the FDA will follow with additional regulations which will impact the transportation industry.

DISTRACTED DRIVERS – The DOT has issued new proposed regulations which prohibit commercial vehicle operators from using hand held cell phone devices.  Each offense will bring a $2,750 fine and possible suspension of the driver’s CDL after additional violations.  The proposed regulations can be viewed here.

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