On Sept. 18-22, 2016, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) held its 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Little Rock, Arkansas. Approximately 600 government officials, enforcement and industry members attended the conference in support of the Alliance’s mission to improve commercial motor vehicle safety and uniformity throughout North America.
The general session, which kicked off the annual conference, included regulatory updates from the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators/Compliance and Regulatory Affairs (CCMTA/CRA), the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) of Mexico, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The general session also included a presentation on the State of the Alliance and CVSA’s new strategic plan. In addition, award winners were acknowledged for the North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC), CVSA’s college scholarships, the International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA), FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) and the National Training Center’s (NTC) Roadside Instructor of the Year.
Two brand-new committees met for the first time at this year’s annual conference – the Enforcement and Industry Modernization Committee, and the Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee. The Enforcement and Industry Modernization Committee will identify technological advancements that can be leveraged to improve commercial motor vehicle safety by enhancing the performance, quality and uniformity of commercial motor vehicle inspections and transforming enforcement-related activities. The Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee will develop the Alliance’s policy positions and implementation strategies for the agency/department leaders responsible for the coordination and oversight of commercial motor vehicle safety and enforcement programs. The committee will also serve as a forum for international regulatory harmonization discussions.
Also at this year’s conference, for the first time, there was an information session on electronic logging devices (ELDs) implementation. Attendees were provided with an inspector training and enforcement update; information on Web Services, eRODS and ELD self-certification; and an overview of Canadian ELD implementation. The information session included an opportunity for questions from the audience and open discussion between audience members and the panelists.
As one of his last duties as CVSA president, Maj. Jay Thompson of the Arkansas Highway Police presented the coveted CVSA President’s Award to FMCSA Associate Administrator for Enforcement and Program Delivery Bill Quade and to Lt. Col. Mark Savage of the Colorado State Patrol, who just completed serving the final year of his past-presidency.
CVSA has transitioned to its new leadership team for the 2016-2017 term. Julius Debuschewitz of Yukon Highways and Public Works is the new president of the Alliance. Capt. Chris Turner of the Kansas Highway Patrol is CVSA’s vice president. Capt. Scott Carnegie with the Mississippi Highway Patrol was elected by the membership to the position of secretary. Maj. Jay Thompson of the Arkansas Highway Police is now the Alliance’s immediate past-president.
“The CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition is always an exciting time for the Alliance. This year, I was proud to showcase and highlight the renewed strategic direction of the Alliance with conference attendees,” said CVSA Executive Director Collin B. Mooney, CAE. “It was important to us to update our strategic plan to provide a framework for the future of the Alliance and to ensure we continue to offer transparency to our membership on the decisions and actions that shape this organization.”
The 2017 CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition will take place on Sept. 17-21, 2017, in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.