American Sleep Apnea Association presented Schneider National with its first American
Sleep Apnea Award to commend the Green Bay, Wis.-based carrier for its detection and treatment program. Schneider accepted the award at the American Trucking Associations’ Safety and Human Resources National Conference and Exhibition in Pittsburgh.
Department of Transportation released $1 million in emergency relief funds to California to help pay for urgent repairs to roads and bridges damaged by wildfires. The funds will address repairs that needed immediate attention – such as damaged or destroyed guardrails, signs or traffic signals – until the state completes a full damage assessment.
Colorado is becoming more aggressive in its campaign to increase use of snow chains. An earlier snowstorm in late October gave state police their first chance to enforce a new chain law, which allows tickets ranging from $500 for failure to use chains to $1,000
for a failure to use chains that results in a lane closure. The state has spent almost $2.5 million to add new chain-up sites, as well as lighting and signage to existing areas.
Melton Truck Lines, based in Tulsa, Okla., said that it will make Iteris’ Lane Departure Warning system standard equipment on about 1,000 new trucks over the next three years.
The Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General, in its audit of the National Driver Register, reported finding security issues and deficiencies with the data stored in the system. NDR, administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is a central register that enables state department of motor vehicle officials to exchange information on problem drivers in each state, such as those convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. The system is intended to help prevent problem drivers from obtaining a driver’s license to operate a vehicle, or being hired for safety-sensitive positions.
In 2006, state officials made more than 70 million inquiries for driver’s license applicants, 9 million of which were found in NDR. In all, 42 million problem drivers are recorded in NDR with personally identifiable information, such as driver’s name, Social Security number, date of birth, gender, height, weight and eye color.
The results of DOT OIG’s audit, issued Oct. 29, found that drivers’ personally identifiable information was secured properly in NDR’s mainframe database. However, when transmitted or stored outside the mainframe computer, it was exposed to potential unauthorized access or unapproved use; for example, the sensitive information was not encrypted when transmitted on the network.
