Here are the top 15 most read stories of the year on OverdriveOnline.com, according to pageviews for each post, along with a few other highlights:
14. Hours rule under fire in federal court: Published in July, the story covers the American Trucking Associations’ and the Owner-Operator and Independent Drivers Association’s battle with the FMCSA over the agency’s final hours of service rule, which was published in Dec. 2011.
13. Redux: Have you seen your CSA scorecard?: Todd Dills’ Nov. 15 Channel 19 blog entry covers the expanding availability of CSA-like scores for drivers produced by Vigillo, a company that helps carriers manage their CSA scores. As more carriers submit data, Vigillo is then in turn able to produce a score very close to that of what FMCSA uses internally. (As an aside, Dills has written an extended piece on CSA score availability, pre-employment screening and their impact on a driver’s job hunt that will be published online in 2013 — stay tuned.)
9. Readers: GPS regs won’t fill a void of common sense: After New York Senator Chuck Schumer called for federal standards on truck GPS units, OD readers weighed in.
8. Video: Ryan Hooten’s hay hauling ’95 Peterbilt: As the title indicates, a brief video on Ryan Hooten’s award-winning 1995 Peterbilt 379, which is the personal ride he uses for his Santa Ynez, Calif.-based Ryan’s Feed and Trucking. The truck has a slick black-cherry paint job and a Western-themed interior.
7. FMCSA eliminating registrant DOT numbers: FMCSA announced in October that registrant-only DOT numbers would expire in October in an attempt for the agency to plug a hole in inspection and crash information relative to CSA.
6. Driver gets 18 months for falsified logbook: In May, a judge sentenced a Philadelphia-based driver to 18 months in prison after it was discovered — after he hit hit and killed another driver — he used four different logbooks, all falsified, to fit possible situations with authorities. He was already serving a 23-month sentence for vehicular homicide.
5. New exhaust regs start Jan. 1: Starting Jan. 1., 2013, the state of California requires that year-model 2000-2004 engines be equipped with a state-approved soot filter. The state’s Air Resources Board will asess heavy penalties and even possible truck impounding for non-compliance.
4. FMCSA to validate medical cards during inspection: Though methodology is dubious (and mostly untested), the FMCSA announced in November it and its state partners would begin validating drivers’ medical cards during roadside inspections by calling the medical examiner who issued the card.
In addition to the 15 most read, here are five other highlights from the next 15 most-read stories of 2012:
What an exotic dancer-led lawsuit means to leased business
The story of Jabin Bogan (the U.S. trucker detained by Mexican authorities after accidentally crossing the border with a load of ammunition)
Truckpocalypse: What happens when America’s trucks stop
FMCSA formally repeals electronic log rule
DOT: Despite state measures, marijuana still illegal for drivers