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❗️CVSA shares new details on upcoming driver-focused blitz❗️

On Tuesday, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) provided information on an annual operation to crack down on unsafe driving behaviors.

This year, the CVSA’s “Operation Safe Driver Week” is scheduled for July 10 — 16, and it will take place throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

During the week-long operation, law enforcement agencies will be monitoring both passenger and commercial vehicle drivers for unsafe behaviors, including distracted driving, following too closely, improper lane change, and drunk or drugged driving.

The area of focus for Operation Safe Driver Week 2022 is speeding. Speeding was also the focus of last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week effort.

“Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) released its latest annual traffic crash report, showing that 38,824 lives were lost in traffic crashes nationwide in 2020 – the highest number of fatalities since 2007. And while the number of crashes and traffic injuries declined overall, fatal crashes increased by 6.8%. Among the alarming statistics in NHTSA’s report was the key finding that speed-related fatalities increased by 17%. Consequently, speeding, in particular, will be a dangerous driving behavior that officers will identify and target during Operation Safe Driver Week,” the CVSA said in a news release.

“This safe driving initiative and campaign focuses specifically on drivers’ actions – whether it’s something a driver did, like speeding, or something they didn’t do, such as not paying attention to the driving task,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol. “This focus on drivers’ behaviors is our effort to identify and educate drivers who are operating dangerously on our roadways, with the goal of preventing crashes from occurring.”

The CVSA’s International Roadcheck inspection effort is scheduled for mid-May, 2022.

Before you file, you should determine if you are eligible for tax credits. The COVID-19 pandemic made certain credits available during the year 2021. Be sure to include information about stimulus checks, donations and more when you prepare items for your tax return.

📎The American Rescue Plan Act gave individuals and their family members a $1,400 stimulus check. If you haven’t received a check yet or you received a reduced amount, you can claim the amount as a credit.

📎Form 7072 gives tax credits to self-employed individuals who missed work because of COVID. This credit was in effect until March 31, 2021. You could claim up to ten days if you missed work because of COVID between January 2021 and March 2021. Those who missed work because they were caring for someone else with COVID at that time can claim up to 50 days.

📎Charitable donations can also be claimed on your taxes. If you gave to any charities or nonprofits, be sure to include those donations when filing. A tax professional will need to see the records or receipts for those donations.

WORK WITH A TAX PROFESSIONAL or just work with us. Navarro for sure can help you with all the papers about taxes, safety, drivers, trucks and others. Give us a call for more details.

Nearly 1 in 5 female drivers don’t think trucking is a safe industry for women: Survey

The group recently shared the results of their 2022 WIT Female Driver Safety and Harassment Study, which aims give voice to the concerns of women operating in a male-dominated industry. WIT says that nearly 450 female drivers responded to the survey.

The survey asked women if they believe trucking is a safe industry for female drivers.

📍Nearly 18% of female drivers do not think that trucking is a safe industry for women
📍 54% of respondents said that they believe that trucking is safe for women.
📍 28.5% of respondents said that they don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other on whether trucking is safe for women.

The survey also asked women to share the locations where they feel most unsafe.

📍 87% said truck stops are not safe for women drivers
📍 85.5% said rest areas are not safe for women drivers
📍 75% said that there are safety risks in the cab of their own truck
📍 74% said that there are safety risks at shipper/receiver facilities

The survey asked female drivers what steps they take to stay safe when they’re out on the road.

📍 96% said that they try to be very aware of their surroundings
📍 77% try to stick to lighted areas of a truck stop or rest area
📍 44% carry a personal safety product like mace
📍 26% carry a firearm
📍 15% carry a device that makes a noise like a r**e whistle

The survey also looked at sexual harassment/sexual assault issues during driver training.

📍 42.5% said they are aware of a driver who has experienced harassment or actual assault as a result of sharing a cab with an opposite gender trainer.
📍 39% of respondents say that their company offers same-gender driver training
📍 62.5% of respondents say that same-gender driver training programs would encourage more women to enter the trucking industry.