More than 450 government officials, enforcement and industry members attended this year’s CVSA Workshop, which focused on quality, uniformity and consistency in commercial motor vehicle safety and enforcement.
The annual CVSA Workshop provided attendees the opportunity to continue their work toward advancing commercial vehicle safety, security and enforcement throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Workshop took place on April 6-10, 2014, in Los Angeles, Calif.
“The CVSA Workshop is where enforcement and industry work together in developing and implementing standards and best practices that affect all who work in the commercial vehicle industry,” said CVSA President Sgt. Thomas Fuller of the New York State Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit. “The true value of our Alliance is the successful implementation of commercial vehicle safety initiatives developed by an open and collaborative environment.”
Participants from all across North America collaborated at the Workshop to affect meaningful changes to the overall culture of transportation safety. They attended various committee, membership, region and program meetings aimed at the ongoing progress of CVSA’s mission to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security, and to achieve common goals of uniformity, compatibility and reciprocity.
The Workshop’s general session included highlights on the development of the Alliance’s priority policy items for the transportation bill. The general session also featured a member roundtable, which included a series of member-generated topics that were discussed amongst the members of the panel, as well as an engaging Q&A session with the audience.
“This year’s Workshop was constructed to provide an opportunity for dialogue and discussion on the key issues of today and tomorrow,” said Stephen A. Keppler, executive director, CVSA.
The 2014 CVSA Workshop featured informative and collaborative sessions on some of the most important topics for the commercial vehicle safety and enforcement industry, such as:
- Uniform regulatory requirements for the securement of cargo on or within commercial motor vehicles throughout North America
- State crash data collection and the federal reporting criteria
- Updates on The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) and the International Registration Plan (IRP), and the registration of commercial motor vehicles involved in inter-jurisdictional operations
- Evaluation and improvement of data quality, accuracy and consistency
- Regulations and industry practices for persons seeking registration authority as motor carriers, freight forwarders and brokers
- Future updates to the DataQs system in accordance with FMCSA policy published in 2014
Also of importance during the CVSA Workshop, the following members were nominated for the international position of CVSA secretary:
- Julius Debuschewitz, BA, Manager, Yukon Highways and Public Works, Transport Services Branch
- Alan Martin, Deputy Director, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Transportation Department
Elections will take place at the 2014 CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition, Sept. 14-18, 2014, in Buffalo, N.Y.
“Hundreds of people came to this year’s CVSA Workshop to contribute to and help shape the current and future state of commercial vehicle safety throughout North America. What we do and what we learn helps improve the industry and, more importantly, helps save lives,” said Sgt. Fuller. “It is not just a job for us, it is a passion.”
The next CVSA Workshop is scheduled for April 12-15, 2015, in Jacksonville, Fla.