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The
Anti-Terrorist legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Bush
includes some tough new standards for Commercial Drivers who have HazMat
Endorsements on their CDL's. The legislation will now require
states to conduct federal government criminal background checks, immigration
checks and Interpol checks on all commercial drivers applying for or renewing a
HazMat Endorsement on their CDL. Although the media and
many in Congress have led the public to believe that a Hazardous Materials
Transportation license is a special individual license, we in the industry
understand that it is nothing more than an endorsement to a driver's CDL. Although
the regulation will probably be beneficial it is difficult to understand how it
will be practically implemented at the state level. There are still many states
that don't fully comply with the original mandates of the CDL regulations. With
over 3 million commercial drivers out there it will be more difficult
to accomplish this task than to legislate it. As of this writing, the FMCSA has
instructed states to continue to issue CDL's and HazMat endorsements as they
have done in the past for new and renewal applications. The changes will be
announced once FMCSA has had the opportunity to establish implementation
guidelines. Although this mandate will be a matter between the
federal government and the states (since it's a licensing issue) HazMat
Carriers should do their own background investigations on drivers. Although this
is not required by the new legislation, the issue of "due diligence"
is a huge liability exposure for carriers. Trucking insurance is already in a
hard market and looks like it will get harder before it rebounds. The
investment in thorough criminal background investigations is a bargain compared
to the alternatives. Can
you imagine what could happen to trucking insurance premiums for everyone if
just one HazMat truck became a weapon of mass destruction in the United
States? SafeTrac
Solutions can conduct thorough, timely and affordable background investigation
for your company..... (800)
577-8797 North American Toll Free Number
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