Professional Drivers: What You Need to Know About the INVEST in America Act

Have you heard about the INVEST in America Act? If you haven’t, read on. When passed, this bill will significantly impact you as a freight carrier, driver, or trucking company, so it’s essential to stay informed and on top of what’s going on.

In this article, you will learn what the INVEST in America Act is and the key ways it specifically impacts drivers, trucking companies, and construction logistics for High Stakes Freight. This post isn’t a complete, comprehensive explanation of the Act; instead, an overview of the potential impact the Act will have on our industry.

What is the INVEST in America Act?

The INVEST in America Act is a 5-year surface transportation bill that will direct $547 billion to “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation.” With this act, federal investments will be directed to roads, bridges, transit, and rail, and national transportation policies will be reimagined to support American workers and communities. The bill also seeks to address the climate crisis with its policies. 

Provisions Impacting Drivers & Trucking Companies

The INVEST in America Act will impact freight carriers, drivers, trucking and construction logistics companies in eight key ways. Read on to get a brief overview of the changes you can expect to see. 

1. Increased Truck Parking Areas: The bill includes a grant program that provides $1 billion over five years to address the shortage of parking for commercial motor vehicles. The goal is to improve the safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers. In addition, knowing that there are safe, accessible truck parking areas will make construction logistics easier and ensure the safety of the client’s High Stakes Freight. 

2. Review of 2020 Hours-of-Service (HOS) Changes: The bill would suspend changes made to drivers’ hours of service rules. The rules keep fatigued drivers off the road and regulate when and how long you may drive. We must stay abreast of these changes when moving High Stakes Freight to ensure we get freight from A to B on time and in sequence. Changes in HOS impact transit times and can affect construction logistics timelines if not considered during scheduling.

3. Minimum Insurance Requirements Increased from $750,000 to $2 Million: With the bill, liability insurance minimums would be increased and re-assessed every five years to account for inflation. This bill still needs to be passed in the House and Senate at the time of this posting. 

4. Automatic Emergency Brakes Required on New Trucks: To make roadways safer for all motorists, the bill would require and set standards for automatic brakes on all new vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds. This will improve the safety of motorists and our client’s High Stakes Freight in the event of a possible collision. 

5. Sleep Apnea Screening and Testing Rules: The bill will require the assessment of “the risk posed by untreated obstructive sleep apnea in drivers of commercial motor vehicles and the feasibility, benefits, and costs associated with establishing screening criteria for obstructive sleep apnea in drivers of commercial motor vehicles.” (Sec. 4308) Then, no later than two years after enacting the Act, a final rule will be issued to establish screening criteria for obstructive sleep apnea in commercial motor vehicle drivers. 

6. Performance Standards for Side Underride Guards: Side underride guards have mixed reviews in the trucking industry. For some, they are a necessary safety feature that could save lives. In contrast, for others, the research on side underride guards isn’t compelling enough at real-life speeds to warrant sweeping standards, regulation, and industry-wide change.  Under current law, underrides are not required on the sides or front of trucks. The Stop Underrides Act would require trucks to have rear, side, and front underride guards on trailers and tractor-trailers weighing more than 10,000 pounds. This would also be a requirement for single-unit trucks with a carriage over 22 inches above the ground and weighing more than 10,000 pounds.

7. Time and/or Distance Caps on Truck Usage for Personal Conveyance: Personal conveyance is the use of a commercial motor vehicle for personal use while off duty. With the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate and Hours of Service (HOS) rules by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), it’s essential to know what also counts as personal conveyance and the time or distance allowed for this type of travel. When transporting High Stakes Freight and planning travel, these new caps will need to be calculated while moving to and from the construction site. 

8. Publicly Available Public Driver Safety Scores: Currently, a driver can find their CSA (Compliance, Safety, and Accountability) Score on the FMCSA website. With this bill, a driver’s safety score will be made publicly available for review. When it comes to construction logistics and High Stakes Freight, this score will help companies rest assured that their freight is in good hands. 

You can continue reviewing the full details of the INVEST in America Act here.

If you’d like to learn more about Stream Logistics and how we stay up-to-date on all things impacting High Stakes Freight with our partner carriers, connect with us! Our team of experts will gladly show you how we collaborate to make sure construction projects run smoothly from start to finish.