What do you like?
What don’t you like?

Drop me a line at jason.owens@coopsareopen.com

The first major wave of changes will update the look and feel of the site. We’ve made the site simpler and easier to use. We also removed some features that just didn’t get a lot of traction. You will see that we can now integrate YouTube videos with ease, so look for a few trucker-related videos on the site. Our blog feature is now a lot more accessible to us writers, so look for content to be posted more frequently on our blog. We’re also in the beginning phases of integrating the CoopsAreOpen blog to our CoopsAreOpen page on Facebook. Later in the year we will start pushing the envelope on social media through Twitter, so look for more on that in a few months.

First Wave of Changes
We would like to begin the process this weekend, Feb. 11 (Saturdays are usually the days with our lowest volume). If things go well with the first step, we’ll take another step each week until we’re done.
1. Begin inviting a small portion of our existing premium members to the beta site.
2. Invite remaining portion of premium members to the beta site.
3. Recruit non-premium members to become a pool of beta users.
4. Open coops beta to general public.
5. Phase out old coops site completely

Please feel free to write me with any questions. jason.owens@coopsareopen.com

Over the next 90 days we have a number of enhancements planned, but before we pull the trigger, we wanted to reach out to you to see what you find helpful.

Drop me a line at jason.owens@coopsareopen.com and let me know how we can make CoopsAreOpen a better experience for you.

Here’s the link! –> How to Get What You Want

If you know anyone who would like to receive Weigh Station Alerts, please help get the word out. And, as always, if you see increased weigh station or truck inspection activity, keep us informed! Email us at alerts@coopsareopen.com.

Tags: Oklahoma City, Weigh Station Alert, Weigh Station, Truck Inspection

If you know anyone who would like to receive Weigh Station Alerts, please help get the word out. And, as always, if you see increased weigh station or inspection activity, keep us informed! Email us at alerts@coopsareopen.com.

Arizona enforcement officials are busy working the stretch of I-10 east of Tucson, and especially the stretch between Benson, Arizona, and Willcox, Arizona, so be proactive about your paperwork and equipment. Drivers tell us there is an enforcement trailer set up in the rest area between Benson and Willcox and that the hotel parking lot near the TA truckstop in Willcox is filled with enforcement vehicles. At this time, the bulk of the enforcement seems to be centered on the east bound rest area between exit 318 and exit 322. Drivers report several red tagged trucks pulling into the TA truckstop at exit 340.

It sounds like officers plan to be set up in the area for quite a while- the rumor is that they’ll be there for the rest of the week… so Happy Valentine’s Day!

This report is accurate as of 12:45 pm central time.

If you know anyone who would like to receive Weigh Station Alerts, please help get the word out. And, as always, if you see increased weigh station or truck inspection activity, keep us informed! Email us at alerts@coopsareopen.com.

Tags: Enforcement Officials, Benson, Arizona, Willcox, Arizona, TA Truckstop, Red Tagged Trucks, Weigh Station Alert, Weigh Station, Truck Inspection, Coopsareopen.com

With comments due by Feb. 28, drivers can voice their concerns about a proposed cut from 11 hours of driving in a 14-hour to 16-hour window, down to 10 hours over the same time frame.

A provision in the proposal would allow drivers to extend a daily shift to 16 hours twice a week for drivers who take a full 10 hours off duty.

“A fatigued driver has no place behind the wheel of a large commercial truck,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We are committed to an hours-of-service rule that will help create an environment where commercial truck drivers are rested, alert and focused on safety while on the job.”

The publication of this proposed rule coincides with the time frame established in a court settlement agreement that requires a final HOS rule by July 26, according to the FMCSA website.

The proposal retains the “34-hour restart” provision allowing drivers to restart the clock on their weekly 60 or 70 hours by taking at least 34 consecutive hours off-duty. However, the restart period would have to include two consecutive off-duty periods from midnight to 6 a.m. and drivers could only use this restart once during a seven-day period.

Drivers are required to complete all driving within a 14-hour workday, and to complete all on-duty work-related activities within 13 hours – allowing for a one-hour break.

Open for comment, is a 10 or 11-hour daily drive time limit. FMCSA currently favors a 10-hour limit.

“In January, we began this rulemaking process by hosting five public listening sessions with stakeholders across the country,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “This proposed rule provides another opportunity for the public to weigh in on a safety issue that impacts everyone on our roadways.”

Truck drivers who violate the HOS limits face civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense. Trucking companies that allow their drivers to violate the proposal’s driving limits would face penalties of up to $11,000 for each offense.
Other key provisions include the option of extending a driver’s daily shift to 16 hours twice a week to accommodate for issues such as loading and unloading at terminals or ports, and allowing drivers to count some time spent parked in their trucks toward off-duty hours.

To see the proposed changes and for information on how to submit comments, visit http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/HOS.

Tags: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Hours Of Service, 16-hour Window, Fatigued Driver, Commercial Truck, Truck Drivers, 14-hour Workday, Trucking Companies

Even drivers who have not pulled out tire chains yet this winter, have probably busted a knuckle or two on a tie down encrusted with road salt or a rusted-on bolt.

In the great white North of Canada, a spray corrosion control system is widely used to avoid those inconveniences and other problems brought on by winter weather.

When applied to cars, the Krown Rust Control process, a light liquid coating is sprayed in and around corrosion-prone areas, such as around the gas tank and the tops of shock towers, said Krown Industrial Sales Manager Matthew Young. When applied to trucks, the coating is sprayed on the frame, the engine and engine compartment, under the cab, on wiring areas, and pretty much everywhere.

“Specific areas that are of concern for truck operators are moving parts such as 5th wheel components, sliding dolly legs on trailers, and simple things like door hinges. Corrosion in electrical components can cause a real headache, Young said. It can be real difficult to find the site of the failure when it could be one of a dozen components.

A Krown application addresses every area of concern for electrical corrosion including, battery terminals and tie downs, ECMs (Electronic Control Modules), pin connectors, pig tails, weather packs, wire harnesses, and sensors.

Coolant sensors are often rotted by a back flow of coolant through the line. All of these items cost significant amounts of money and time to repair, Young said. A simple electrical break down can cost hundreds to fix but that could be added to the cost of a tow in many cases and other peripheral costs associated with having the truck off the road.

There is a pin connector on Fed Ex trucks that were rotting out in six months due to the location of awindshield drain, Young said. The cost of repair was $3,500 to the manufacturer, that manufacturer has solved the problem altogether by applying Krown to the pin connector.

For those looking for rust control, there are few other options if they don’t want to Ziebarttheir whole truck. Unlike such hardened protectants, Krown’s products allow full access to theundercarriage.

There are two separate products that set Krown apart from other companies, Young said. MR-35Salt Eliminator is an everyday usetruck wash formulated specifically to remove chlorides from road equipment. MR-35 Salt Eliminator breaks the bond between the chlorides (deicing liquids and solids) that attach themselves to the vehicle, and the vehicle itself. To break this bond via mechanical means requires approximately 35,000 psi.

“If you wash your equipment with enough pressure to clean the salt off, you’re doing damage to the equipment by washing it. MR-35 Salt Eliminator leaves a cleaner vehicle, without the damage of straight pressure washing.

The most important product in the Krown line is the KL-73 Corrosion Inhibitor, Young said. It is called T-40 in some automotive shops. The inhibitor penetrates into areas like door seems, welded areas, and even inside wiring where corrosion most frequently takes place.

Based in Ontario, Krown has been a part of Canadian trucking for more than 20 years. The products are environmentally safe, so they are gaining wide acceptance in the U.S. market, Young said.

Tags: Corrosion Control, Krown Rust Control, Gas Tank, Matthew Young, Truck Operators, 5th Wheel Components, Sliding Dolly Legs, Door Hinges, Electrical Components, Electrical Corrosion, Battery Terminals, Tie Downs, Electronic Control Modules, Pin Connectors, Pig Tails, Weather Packs, Wire Harnesses, Coolant Sensors, Windshield Drain, Rust Control, Ziebart, Protectants, Undercarriage, MR-35, Salt Eliminator, Truck Wash, Deicing, Pressure Washing, KL-73, Corrosion Inhibitor, T-40, Canadian Trucking

The CSA’s Safety Measurement System is designed to analyze driver and vehicle violations for use in corrective intervention, according to the FMCSA.

“The SMS uses seven safety improvement categories to examine a carrier’s on-road performance and potential crash risk, according to the administration website.

Unsafe driving, fatigued driving (Hours-of-Service), driver fitness, controlled substances and alcohol use, vehicle maintenance, cargo-related violations and crash indicators will replace FMCSA’s old measurement system which assessed performance in only four broad categories.


”By looking at a carrier’s safety violations in each SMS category, FMCSA and state law enforcement will be better equipped to identify carriers with patterns of high-risk behaviors and apply interventions that provide carriers the information necessary to change unsafe practices early on,” according to the FMCSA.

But drivers and their organizations see the flaws the lawmakers missed.

In November, the American Trucking Association submitted proposed changes to FMCSA requesting industry representation to the review board. The letter requested modification of severity weight, “to make them more accurately reflect crash risk; control for risk disparities among ‘generic violations’; ensure industry segments are compared against their peers; and test the system to ensure that it accurately identifies carriers that are unsafe.”

“FMCSA has not published data that demonstrates the connections between violating the FMCSRs and crash severity,” according to the appeal. “We therefore renew our request to the agency for information about how the crash severity connections were calculated…”

The linchpin of the CSA is the data that’s used, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. “That is the one area raising the most concern at (OOIDA). The information entered is not limited to just convictions. Citations and warnings – as long as they are noted on the inspection reports – will all be included in the database and calculations to figure the safety rating,” OOIDA said in it’s review of the CSA. “The carrier portion of the database will carry 24 months of inspections and crash reports. The driver profiles will contain 36 months of data.”

CSA brochures and pocket cards for commercial motor vehicle drivers are expected to be at travel centers across the country as of this week. The brochures will list the SMS guidelines.

More information on CSA and the SMS guidelines are available at the FMCSA’s website.

Tags: Department Of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA, Compliance Safety Accountability, CSA, Safety Measurement System, Violations, Crash Risk, Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving, Hours-of-Service, Vehicle Maintenance, American Trucking Association, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association