Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Sept. 18, 2020:
FMCSA adding new driver panel to MCSAC
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is launching a new panel to its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee that will be comprised of truck drivers. The new panel will provide direct feedback to FMCSA on issues facing the driving community, such as safety, hours of service regulations, training, parking and driver experience.
“Truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators are American heroes who have stepped up during the current public health emergency to keep our economy moving, so their input is essential to strengthening safety on the roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
The panel will be made up of 20 to 25 drivers from all segments of the commercial motor vehicle industry – tractor-trailer drivers, straight truck drivers, motor coach drivers, hazmat drivers, agriculture haulers and more.
FMCSA says its goal with the new panel “is to capture the wide array of viewpoints and experiences within the CMV community.”
Trucker busted with $3.9M in drugs hidden in rocks
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Tecate, California, cargo crossing had to break open quartz boulders on Monday, Sept. 14, to find 229 packages of methamphetamine and cocaine hidden inside.
At about 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 14, a truck driver arrived at the Tecate border crossing with a shipment listed on the manifest as multiple tons of beach pebbles and stones, according to a statement from the Border Patrol. The CBP officer completing the inspection for entry to the U.S. referred the driver, truck and shipment to the dock.
