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In this issue of ACWI Advance we take a closer look at these stories:
- Biden’s Covid 19 vaccine mandates face serious legal trouble in federal courts.
- Research defines a workable framework for electric vehicle taxation.
- An EEOC initiative targets prejudice in artificial intelligence employment tools.
- A survey finds that 75% of voters favor promoting greater rail competition.
- Speeding is the top citation for commercial drivers during a safety roadside event.
- OSHA plans to restore electronic filing of 300 logs and 301 injury reports.
- A study says dancing, talking and singing help keep truck drivers alert.
Send your company news to Editor David Sparkman at [email protected], and please understand that there is no cost to you when we use your news in this newsletter.
Judges Slam OSHA Vax Mandate
The Biden administration’s Covid 19 vaccine mandates are in serious legal trouble, facing a federal appeals court system that doesn’t seem to buy justifications for having OSHA require private employers to ensure their workers are vaccinated.
At the time this was written, the state of the controversy was such that all of the lawsuits across the country brought against the OSHA mandate had been gathered together to be heard by a single appeals court, — the Sixth Circuit — widely considered as one of the most conservative of the circuits.
Electric Vehicle Tax Can Work
The American Transportation Research Institute released research that describes what it calls a workable framework for electric vehicle (EV) taxation to support transportation infrastructure.
By applying a small tax on the electricity used in transportation, ATRI says this approach can efficiently connect the growing number of electric vehicles in the United States with other revenue streams that support the highway trust fund.
EEOC Probes AI Bias Issues
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched an initiative to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) and other high-tech tools used in hiring and other employment decisions comply with federal civil rights laws
“Artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making tools have great potential to improve our lives, including in the area of employment,” says EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows.
Public Supports Rail Competition
A recent survey found that a bipartisan majority of registered voters – 75% — favor President Biden’s recent actions that were aimed at promoting greater freight rail competition.
The survey was conducted by the Rail Customer Coalition, which represents the interests of those companies that are dependent on railroad services.
CVSA Event Draws FMCSA
Speeding was the top violation for truck and bus drivers during July’s driver safety roadside event held by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Called Operation Safer Driver Week, it also drew first-time participation by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which in a parallel event targeted commercial motor vehicle (CMV) carriers who already had a history of crashes and unsafe driving behavior.
OSHA Online Reports Coming
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to restore an Obama-era requirement that employers submit their annual OSHA 300 logs and OSHA 301 reports electronically.
An Obama-era rule required employers to submit all OSHA forms via an electronic reporting portal. Under Trump, electronic submission was confined to Form 300As (and not the full 300 logs) for firms with 250 or more employees, and those with 20-249 employees in industries with historically high rates of injuries and illnesses.
What Causes Driver Distraction?
A study of what kind of behavior leads to distracted driving and drowsiness among truck and bus drivers finds that dancing, talking, and singing actually help drivers keep alert.
Researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted the study for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and it offers some good news for a change regarding the behavior of commercial drivers when they are on the job.
