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In honor of Cora Pearl Wintersteen Sitler (my mother)
The World Trade Organization has lobbied for standardized practices and a common frequency to be implemented for radio frequency identification devices (RFID) for many years. In 2006, the ISO introduced the ISO/IEC 18000-6 Amendment 1 incorporating the EPCglobal Generation 2 UHF RFID Air Interface protocol which had the intention of making available a license to manufactures to create devices fitting both the EPCglobal standard and the ISO standard.This still did not establish a global standard but was a first step in that direction.Further success is now being seen in this movement thanks to the announcement by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on February 19 introducing ISO 17367:2009, Supply chain applications of RFID – Product tagging.
Global logistics requires better tracking methods, e.g. traceability.Traceability is defined by the ISO "as the tracking and tracing of product and information related to it at each stage of a chain of production, processing, distribution, and selling. The development of radio frequency identification (RFID), including peripheral devices and their applications, is indispensable for increasing the safety and reliability of products for consumers".Craig K. Harmon, Chair of TC 122/WG 10 comments: "ISO 17367:2009 will provide higher level security of products worldwide using RFID technology. It will enable easy and efficient exchange of commodities in international trade and logistics. "
Anyone who has used RFID knows the value this implementation can add to a supply chain.As this technology has gained recognition and increased in usage, the price per unit has decreased allowing RFID to become an affordable option for many businesses.True global usage has been uncertain due to the lack of a common global frequency and lack of standardization.While a common frequency is still needed, the ISO has untaken major steps in the area of standardization.It is important to note that these standards only address product tagging (identification) and not packaging.
Freight containers (ocean containers), product packaging, transport units and RTIs (returnable transport items) have recently become regulated by the ISO under different certifications.
ISO 17367:2009 is applicable to a wide range of industries and it has been elaborated in order to ensure compatibility at the physical, command and data levels with four other International Standards under the general title: Supply chain applications ofRFID. International Standards within this suite are interoperable and non-interfering:
·ISO 17363:2007, Supply chain applications of RFID – Freight containers
·ISO 17364:2009, Supply chain applications of RFID – Returnable transport items (RTIs)
·ISO 17365:2009, Supply chain applications of RFID – Transport units
·ISO 17366:2009, Supply chain applications of RFID – Product packaging.
These International Standards define the technical aspects and data hierarchy of information required in each layer of the supply chain. ISO technical committee ISO/TC 122/WG 10, Packaging, in collaboration with ISO/TC 104, Freight containers developedthisseries of standards. TC 122/WG 10 has undertaken a revision of this suite of standards to provide better clarity to the encoded methods to be utilized and support for sensor technology. (http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1293)
As the global supply chain grows, it is reasonable to expect to see more ISO standardization in this field.Standardization will aid in cost reduction, loss reduction and overall lower costs in the transportation aspect of the supply chain.
Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday season. As the New Year begins, I have learned of a very dangerous new drug that is being offered to our children. Would like to share this information with you so together we can try to keep our families safe.
New Drug at Schools Posted by Kadriye Tunc on March 10, 2008
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This is a new drug known as 'strawberry quick'. There is a very scary thing going on in the schools right now that we all need to be aware of. There is a type of crystal meth going around that looks like strawberry pop rocks (the candy that sizzles and 'pops' in your mouth). It also smells like strawberry and it is being handed out to kids in school yards. They are calling it strawberry meth or strawberry quick. Kids are ingesting this thinking that it is candy and being rushed off to the hospital in dire condition. It also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape and orange. Please instruct your children not to accept candy from strangers and even not to accept candy that looks like this from a friend (who may have been given it and believe it is candy) and to take any that they may have to a teacher, principal, etc. immediately. Pass this email on to as many people as you can (even if they don't have kids) so that we can raise awareness and hopefully prevent any tragedies from occurring.
Just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year!
Thank you all for being a part of the DOT Doctor family and we look forward to our continuing relationship in the New Year.
I am sure you have all heard about the Arrow ordeal by now. (If not check out my Facebook page). Awful! But in all this, it was wonderful to see OOIDA, Schneider and all the other drivers and companies who stepped up to help out a fellow driver. Great Christmas spirit!
Anyone celebrating - Happy Holidays, be safe and have a prosperous New Year!
So it did pass. Well add some more confusion to the mix. Proper revision is needed. More pot stirring with no real results is not. Will be interesting to see what actually comes out of this. The trucking industry needs to become more involved in this process and find a way to greater influence the outcome. This includes drivers not just corporations. Letting this all up to the delegates, auto groups and insurance industry is only going to hurt the trucking industry even more.
Let me share a posting from Jeffery Trainor at LinkedIn:
Breaking News: US Truck Driver Hours of Service Rules to be Re-Written
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in response to a legal challenge to the current hours of service (HOS) regulations, will completely rewrite the 2008 HOS regulations. The agency will issue a proposed rulemaking within 9 months and a new Final Rule in less than two years.
This settlement is in response to a legal challenge brought against FMCSA by Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In March 2009, the groups asked a D.C. Appeals court to throw out the HOS rule. The March 2009 challenge was the third challenge to the Bush Administration’s HOS rules.
I have seen the clerk in the Safety Position too often. Many of the clients was serviced or prospective clients feel they are too small to need a safety person. They actually say they do not need to worry about the DOT since they only had x trucks. (generally under 10). Then that audit paper comes and they run crying.
We all know 1 truck or 1 million trucks, the DOT is coming. The free DOT HELP group we run on Yahoo addresses this issue with so many small companies. I speak with their "safety clerk", who professes they are clerical and haven't a clue, on how to conduct a safety department. Not only is this unsafe practices; the drivers walk all over them. Drivers are not stupid. They know when the safety person is clueless and they use that to their advantage. Can you blame them?
Our virtual safety director service has helped some companies. It is nice for a long term contract on our part but it really feels better when you can go in and educate management on the importance of a good safety department. While you are their virtual director for a bit to get the ball rolling; it is great to see them learn to value this position and place a full time, qualified person in the spot. Maybe this new ruling will draw more attention to the need for safety and achieve what we have been trying to do for over 10 years in our little part of the world.
Having said this - I want to share a posting from LinkedIN
SEASONED EXPERIENCED SAFETY DIRECTORS NEEDED
Over the years several carriers have tried to cut expenses by using safety clerks instead of experienced or Certified Safety Directors.
This mindset has worked for some carriers, over the years, because the carrier’s Safety Rating would only be affected when a compliance review was conducted. THINGS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE!
CSA2010.com states: “DON’T WAIT! What you and your drivers are doing RIGHT NOW will affect your company's new safety rating with CSA 2010. FMCSA assessment has already begun and will use the data they have been collecting to levy corrective actions or even declare drivers and companies “unfit” to continue service!”
Carriers can not afford to NOT have an experienced and seasoned Safety Director in control of the day-to-day operations. Carriers MUST develop educational and progressive discipline programs to prevent their drivers, contractors and even their own company from being declared “UNFIT” to continue service.
A carrier can no longer afford to allow a clerk to carry the title of Safety Director and live in denial or the fantasy world that CSA2010 is not going to affect them. This mentality has already cost several carriers large fines and even more to close their doors.
The attached link is an interview with a carrier from one of the test states which is currently using CSA2010. After reading the interview: Ask yourself can you afford not to have a seasoned certified and experienced Safety Director in charge of your company’s future?
Read this article on another site and felt it worth a mention. We teach fire prevention beginning in 1st grade. Maybe we should look at what these other countries are doing that places us so far behind them.
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From: Virtual LAMP POSTm October 16, 2009
Fire officials in the State of Guanajuato in Mexico have a belief that the best fire department isn't the one that responds to the most calls. Rather, it's the one that prevents the most fire.
A new "best practices" report shows virtually the entire world does a far better job at reducing fire causalities than the United States by as much as 50 percent in some cases.
The final installment of a three-year study examining how 10 nations handle fire prevention in their countries was recently released. The report, commissioned by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was researched and written by System Planning Corporation's TriData Division in Arlington , Va. The principal researcher was TriData's president Philip Schaenman .
"It's not that other nations are doing anything that we haven't tried, it's just that the scale in which they do it is just spectacular compared to what we do here in the United States," said Schaenman, who in the late 1970s and early 1980s, served as the U.S. Fire Administrator in charge of the National Fire Data Center.
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Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax season is just around the corner. For most tax 2290 filers, the due date for tax period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, is August 31, 2009. IRS has mandated e-filing for taxpayers with 25 or more taxable highway vehicles with registered gross weight of 55,000 lbs or more, but always encouraged everyone to file their forms electronically.
Also for vehicles placed in service after July 31, 2009, Tax 2290 and schedule 1 must be filed, and the tax paid, by the last day of the month after the month the vehicle is first used in the tax period. For example, if a taxpayer begins using a taxable highway vehicle in September 2009, the due date for filing Tax 2290 and paying the tax is October 31, 2009.
“Taxpayers should take advantage of the benefits of filing Tax 2290 electronically,” IRS Excise Tax Program Director Ricky Stiff said. “This really isn’t new. Most taxpayers file and pay their personal federal income taxes using a computer and this is no different. The best part of tax 2290 e-file is that taxpayers will receive their Schedule 1 almost immediately.
“There is no more waiting for Schedule 1 to come in the mail and truckers can then register their vehicles right away.” Most states require a stamped Schedule 1 before a trucker can register their vehicle and obtain proper license tags.
E-filing Tax2290 will also reduce errors that can occur with paper filing which means less correspondence with the IRS.
In addition to Tax 2290, excise Tax 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return, and Tax 8849, Claim for Refund of Excise Taxes (Schedules 3 and 6), may also be filed electronically.
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Buy your copy of Dr. Andrea Sitler PhD's book on transport and handling of nuclear waste. Learn the story behind Yucca Mountain. Understand Pu and its uses in combating Global Warming. Pu: Energy Source or Death Source available through Amazon or buy directly through the DOT Doctor's site.
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