PUCO Changes That Affect Everyone

Welcome back and thanks for reading The Bottom Line! Today I’m going to talk about the PUCO’s Gross Vehicle Weight and CDL Driver changes and their effect on all of us.

Today’s entry is dedicated to Karen McDonough. A devoted 24 year employee of the Hoffman group, she passed away last Monday leaving shoes not easily filled. Today we said goodbye to Karen. She will be sorely missed by everyone here and the countless clients she managed all those years.

On to business…today’s topic affects everyone regulated by the PUCO…so whether you’re an over the road trucker, a contractor, or a copier salesman with a box truck…you’re in for some changes…

As you might expect CSA 2010 has created a lot of confusion and no less than its share of headaches. One unforeseen by-product of the CSA changes are the piggyback regulations popping up from PUCO and others, who have made changes to GVW and CDL requirements in step with the CSA timeline.

In this instance, when clear and concise facts are essential, the PUCO has done a downright terrible job of disseminating the information relevant to the changes they’re making. What’s out there is muddled and confusing. The changes might be difficult to comply with depending on your fleet and the nature of your business.

“The new rules apply to businesses that use vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW), gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 10,001 to 26,000 pounds to transport property or passengers on a not-for-hire basis in Ohio. The PUCO regulation change results in intrastate, non-CDL private motor carriers being subject to the same laws as other larger trucks. (Non-CDL is 10,000 – 26,000 lbs). Previously, vehicles of this size were not covered by safety rules. Individuals transporting personal items that are not in furtherance of a commercial enterprise will not be subject to the new rules.”

Click here to read full article: PUCO New Safety Rules for Private Intrastate Non-CDL Vehicles

The following functions have either been added, changed, or edited going forward:

Driver Qualifications, Accident Register, Hours of Service, Inspection, Repair and Maintenance of Vehicles, Vehicle Maintenance File Summary, Vehicle Markings, Equipment Necessary for Safe Operation, Driving Rules, and Safety Rule Violations and Enforcement

To see the full listing of changes CLICK HERE: PUCO New Safety Rules Document.

As an agency we’ve done what we can to make sure our clients who are affected by these new changes are aware, but the best thing one can do is to download the requirements and get started implementing. The PUCO is already hounding trucks without their names on the side and giving citations.

This move has been initiated by the PUCO’s increased safety awareness brought on by an FMCSA audit. PUCO has agreed to make some changes so that it can generally maintain consistent regulations with the FMCSA. In addition to consistent regulation, these changes will allow the PUCO to continue to receive federal grant funds from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. Fines for the safety inspections will not be levied until January 1, 2012, unless “egregious violations are discovered”, though PUCO will be enforcing the new rules by checking for required items and issuing violation notices and taking vehicles out of service effective immediately.

The Bottom Line: The space necessary to describe in detail the changes to PUCO requirements is immense. For you to best protect your company, you should download the PUCO New Safety Rules Document and get to work. Right or wrong, these changes are at your company’s doorstep and are being enforced. The fines can be significant and worse yet; the PUCO has the right to put a vehicle out of service, which creates a lot more than a hassle.

Hopefully you’ll check back soon to see our weekly updates. And always, if you have any questions for the Truck Insurance Pro…please just let us know and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

Keep on Rollin’!

Jason Stevenson
Truck Insurance Pro
a division of
The Hoffman Group
800.826.4006
jstevenson@thehoffmangrp.com