Colorado Motor Carriers Association Newsletter Archive

In This Issue:

TSA NOT Extending HME

Pinnacol Pointers

Drug/Alcohol Clearinghouse

Free Masks Available

Foundation Auction Items

2021 Training Classes

Important Dates and Deadlines

Safety Essentials for Drivers

Happy New Year from everyone at Colorado Motor Carriers Association.

We wish you a very Happy Holiday Season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Last Chance for Auction Items!

The CMC Foundation held its Virtual Silent Auction earlier this month. We received nearly $7,000! Thank you to all who purchased items and donated to the Foundation.

We had a few items on our Auction that remain unsold – so we wanted to give you one more chance to purchase before the end of the year.

Two pack of Day Lift Tickets to Loveland Ski Area

Price: $100 (value: $180)

Pack of 10 tickets to the Comedy Works

Price: $125 (value: $220)

Model Truck – Freightliner Cascadia Cab with 53” Van Trailer

Price: $50 (value: $65)

Model Truck – Volvo VNR 300 with 53” Dry Goods Van Trailer

Price: $50 (value: $65)

Defensive Driving Training Course (2 available)

Price: $200 (value: $350)

Skid Truck Driving Course

Price: $500 (value: $750)

If you are interested, please contact Patti at patti@cmca.com or 303-433-3375, ext. 104.

TSA NOT Extending HME Further

ATA learned TSA would not be extending the current exemption for Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) Security Threat Assessment (STA), also known as background checks. The exemption for HME STAs will expire, as scheduled, on December 31, 2020. TSA had previously extended and then re-extended the exemption but now reports no backlogs in state applications and says DMVs have not approached them about processing center closures.

This exemption applied to individuals with HMEs that expire between October 30 and December 31 from undergoing a new STA. It also lets states extend HMEs by up to 180 days. Drivers must have initiated or completed the submission of the required information at least 60 days before the expiration of state-granted extension dates to be eligible for the extension.

As a reminder, the HME extension only applies to the STA / Background check – NOT the issuance of an HM Endorsement by state drivers licensing agencies on a Commercial Driver’s License.

Free Washable Cotton Masks available at CMCA – first come / first served – initial limit of 100 per company.

Important Dates/Deadlines:

Dec. 26 until mid January - IRS Office Closed

Dec. 30 - CMCA Closed for Inventory

Dec. 31 - UCR Filing Deadline

Dec. 31 & Jan. 1st - CMCA Office Closed

Jan. 1st - New Labor Rules take effect

Jan. 4th - Deadline to register for Annual Vehicle Inspection class held on Jan. 14th via ZOOM

Jan. 15 - Deadline to submit Directory updates

LAST REMINDER

Employers must conduct annual queries by January 5, 2021

If an employer has already conducted a query on all currently-employed CDL drivers, that employer has met the annual query requirement, and is not required to conduct a query for one year from the query date.

Employers may also designate a consortium/third-part administrator (C/TPA) to conduct these queries on their behalf. Employers can log in to their Clearinghouse accounts and access their Query History page (under My Dashboard > Queries) to verify which drivers have been queried, and when each completed query was conducted.

If an employer has not yet conducted a query on each currently-employed CDL driver, the employer must conduct this annual check to meet the compliance requirement.

What do employers need to do to satisfy the annual query requirement?

Per § 382.701, employers of CDL drivers must conduct a query of the Clearinghouse at least once per year for each CDL driver they employ. A limited query satisfies the annual query requirement.

Employers must obtain a general consent from CDL drivers they employ before conducting limited queries in the Clearinghouse to view these drivers’ information (you can download a sample limited query consent form).

You can log in to the Clearinghouse and conduct your annual queries today.

2021 Training Schedule

**Jan 14 - Annual Vehicle Inspection/ Appendix G (8am-Noon) via ZOOM

NOTE** Please register with an active email for the participant and mailing address. Materials will be mailed on January 4^th, please sign up by then to receive important materials for this class. Cancellations after materials have been sent will be charged the cost of materials.

Jan 16 - Brake Certification (9am-Noon)

Feb. 3 - Disc Brake Seminar (9am-Noon)

NATMI Classes - Postponed until Aug. 23rd-27th

Click here to register and/or for additional classes!

Stay safe this winter: A guide to avoiding slip, trip and fall injuries and other hazards

Winter weather brings more than rosy cheeks and songs about reindeer. During the winter, Pinnacol sees a spike in workers’ compensation claims.

For the past few years, we have received the most worker injury claims on Jan. 9, with an average of almost 200 workers across Colorado getting injured on this day. Many of the claims stem from slip, trip and fall injuries caused by snow or ice. Read More...

Safety Essentials for Truck Drivers