Illinois - 97.75%
Maine - 96.38%
Indiana - 92.71%
Alabama - 92.57%
I know that UCR was never intended to fix FMCSA data. In fact, I remember several discussions where we specifically said the fixing the data was NOT a goal. But I have to tell that I have a hard time deactivating a carrier without exercising a fair amount of due diligence.
We are working on a new due diligence protocol that has to be at least as good as the Feds' protocol --- and maybe better. And, we are running into situations that are a little strange.
Here's an example:
The other day I had a carrier that, for all practical purposes, looked inactive. Phone disconnected, address no good, corporation not in good standing, etc. But .... he showed an active federal authority. What? He's paying for insurance ... and not even paying the phone bill?
So, I called up the insurance company, asked if the filing was still valid (because they're good until cancelled!), informed the underwriter that they were still on the risk for the guy, and, voila, the filing got cancelled and the authority will be going away shortly.
NOW, I can deactivate the number in good conscience!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
UCR and FMCSA Data
Illinois - 97.72%
Maine - 96.48%
Indiana - 92.70%
Alabama - 92.44%
The other day, I was having lunch with our State FMCSA Director.
We were at a buffet and busy stuffing our faces, but, as I recall, he said something to the effect of, "Do you know we had 4,500 New Entrants last year? That's head-and-shoulders above every other mid-western state --- and right up there with CA and TX."
For better or for worse, I felt that we had a lot to do with that "achievement" because of UCR. In fact, I think it's the best part of UCR.
We haven't been just out collecting money. We have been out "scaring up" carriers who needed to register for UCR because they needed to have USDOT numbers all along ... and many of them didn't even have USDOT numbers yet. I ask again --- why didn't they have them? Most of them weren't new carriers. It's not a rhetorical question.
In the process, we have also been finding Federal data records that need to be deactivated or corrected. In theory, this type of effort should be coming out of programs like MCSAP, but isn't.
I think UCR is a great example of a State-Fed partnership. And, quite honestly, I bristle a little when I hear people say that they program is just about "collecting money". That's not the way we view the program here.
Just ask our FMCSA Director!
Maine - 96.48%
Indiana - 92.70%
Alabama - 92.44%
The other day, I was having lunch with our State FMCSA Director.
We were at a buffet and busy stuffing our faces, but, as I recall, he said something to the effect of, "Do you know we had 4,500 New Entrants last year? That's head-and-shoulders above every other mid-western state --- and right up there with CA and TX."
For better or for worse, I felt that we had a lot to do with that "achievement" because of UCR. In fact, I think it's the best part of UCR.
We haven't been just out collecting money. We have been out "scaring up" carriers who needed to register for UCR because they needed to have USDOT numbers all along ... and many of them didn't even have USDOT numbers yet. I ask again --- why didn't they have them? Most of them weren't new carriers. It's not a rhetorical question.
In the process, we have also been finding Federal data records that need to be deactivated or corrected. In theory, this type of effort should be coming out of programs like MCSAP, but isn't.
I think UCR is a great example of a State-Fed partnership. And, quite honestly, I bristle a little when I hear people say that they program is just about "collecting money". That's not the way we view the program here.
Just ask our FMCSA Director!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Sideways Drops ... The Rest Of The Story
Illinois - 97.69%
Maine - 96.51%
Indiana - 92.74%
Alabama - 92.24%
First, let me point out that I think I've been jinxing all of the 89%+ states - they have just stagnated - so I'm removing them from the blog for now. They were doing better before I started including them, which may have been a function of 2010 IRP renewal season.
Now, let's get down to the exciting business of "sideways drops".
First, we need to review how a carrier gets on the Unregistered List.
Obviously, they have to NOT be registered for 2009 yet.
In addition to that, they also have to be designated (according to MCMIS) as an Active, Interstate Carrier.
Finally, they have to had at least one of the following:
an MCS-150 update in the past 12 months
an inspection within the past 15 months
an accident within the past 15 months
a UCR registration for some year within the past 12 months
If they qualified yesterday but no longer qualify today, they get dropped from the list - just like that!
As luck would have it, I had two sideways drops this morning. I had two carriers on my UL who qualified by way of their "MCS-150 Update" dated 4/9/09. Since they didn't have any of the other three criteria ... and since today marks "one year and one day" since their MCS-150 update, they miraculously dropped off our Unregistered List. No muss, no fuss ... Rest assured that we had tried to register these guys numerous times over the past year, but they just never responded. Frankly, I think they both might be out of business, but that is not directly germane to this discussion.
So there you have it! Everything you always wanted to know about "Sideways Drops"! They're like termites - you can have them and never know it unless you look really close and you know what you're looking for.
Have a great weekend!
Maine - 96.51%
Indiana - 92.74%
Alabama - 92.24%
First, let me point out that I think I've been jinxing all of the 89%+ states - they have just stagnated - so I'm removing them from the blog for now. They were doing better before I started including them, which may have been a function of 2010 IRP renewal season.
Now, let's get down to the exciting business of "sideways drops".
First, we need to review how a carrier gets on the Unregistered List.
Obviously, they have to NOT be registered for 2009 yet.
In addition to that, they also have to be designated (according to MCMIS) as an Active, Interstate Carrier.
Finally, they have to had at least one of the following:
an MCS-150 update in the past 12 months
an inspection within the past 15 months
an accident within the past 15 months
a UCR registration for some year within the past 12 months
If they qualified yesterday but no longer qualify today, they get dropped from the list - just like that!
As luck would have it, I had two sideways drops this morning. I had two carriers on my UL who qualified by way of their "MCS-150 Update" dated 4/9/09. Since they didn't have any of the other three criteria ... and since today marks "one year and one day" since their MCS-150 update, they miraculously dropped off our Unregistered List. No muss, no fuss ... Rest assured that we had tried to register these guys numerous times over the past year, but they just never responded. Frankly, I think they both might be out of business, but that is not directly germane to this discussion.
So there you have it! Everything you always wanted to know about "Sideways Drops"! They're like termites - you can have them and never know it unless you look really close and you know what you're looking for.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
"Sideways Drops" And Tsunamis - Which Is Easier To Predict?
Illinois - 97.65%
Maine - 96.54%
Indiana - 92.76%
Alabama - 92.14%
Kentucky - 89.71%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
I've been doing a little more thinking about the criteria for "Sideways Drops" ... and wondering if I couldn't come up with a better way for predicting these drops. So far, my short answer is "No".
Just to review, here's my un-scientific "back of the envelope" definition for the term "sideways drops":
Carriers who are on the Unregistered List one day and fall off the Unregistered List the next day without anybody doing anything proactive to get them off the list.
Here are two situations that DO NOT qualify as "Sideways Drops":
We change a "carrier" to a "registrant".
We deactivate a USDOT number.
In both of these situations the carriers come off the UL, but we did something proactive to get them off of the list.
Confused??? I'll try to clarify all of this in my next post.
Maine - 96.54%
Indiana - 92.76%
Alabama - 92.14%
Kentucky - 89.71%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
I've been doing a little more thinking about the criteria for "Sideways Drops" ... and wondering if I couldn't come up with a better way for predicting these drops. So far, my short answer is "No".
Just to review, here's my un-scientific "back of the envelope" definition for the term "sideways drops":
Carriers who are on the Unregistered List one day and fall off the Unregistered List the next day without anybody doing anything proactive to get them off the list.
Here are two situations that DO NOT qualify as "Sideways Drops":
We change a "carrier" to a "registrant".
We deactivate a USDOT number.
In both of these situations the carriers come off the UL, but we did something proactive to get them off of the list.
Confused??? I'll try to clarify all of this in my next post.
Besieged By "Sideways Adds"!
Illinois - 97.60%
Maine - 96.51%
Indiana - 92.77%
Alabama - 92.12%
Kentucky - 89.74%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
Yesterday, it was 14. Today, it was 10. 24 sideways adds in two days! From the looks of things, about half were due to MCS-150 updates and half were due to inspections being filed by somebody. The inspections aren't posted anywhere I can look at them yet, so I don't know who submitted them. It's all good, however. More folks to register!
While I'm thinking about "sideways" stuff, it has occurred to me that I never write about "sideways drops" - the opposite of "sideways adds". These are carriers that "drop off" the list because they pass the "no UCR, no MCS-150 update, no crashes and no inspections" threshhold from one day to the next. Quite honestly, we don't keep up quite as well with people who leave the list as we do with people who get added on, but these "drops" are a legitimate piece of Unregistered List business as well. Perhaps I'll write more about them in the next few posts.
Maine - 96.51%
Indiana - 92.77%
Alabama - 92.12%
Kentucky - 89.74%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
Yesterday, it was 14. Today, it was 10. 24 sideways adds in two days! From the looks of things, about half were due to MCS-150 updates and half were due to inspections being filed by somebody. The inspections aren't posted anywhere I can look at them yet, so I don't know who submitted them. It's all good, however. More folks to register!
While I'm thinking about "sideways" stuff, it has occurred to me that I never write about "sideways drops" - the opposite of "sideways adds". These are carriers that "drop off" the list because they pass the "no UCR, no MCS-150 update, no crashes and no inspections" threshhold from one day to the next. Quite honestly, we don't keep up quite as well with people who leave the list as we do with people who get added on, but these "drops" are a legitimate piece of Unregistered List business as well. Perhaps I'll write more about them in the next few posts.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
An IRP-UCR Twist
Illinois - 97.60%
Maine - 96.41%
Indiana - 92.75%
Alabama - 92.06%
Kentucky - 89.77%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
As we narrow down our last 500 guys, we are taking a closer look at each carrier to better understand who's left on the list and why they're still on there.
In quite a few instances, we are seeing guys who say they are active interstate motor carriers but who don't register for IRP or IFTA.
After talking with our FMCSA Director, Steve Mattioli, we are kind of "stuck" in the position of having to continue to pursue these guys on the assumption that they MIGHT be operating only vehicles under 26,000 pounds. Doubtful ... but certainly possible.
The most problematic of these guys are the ones who don't get back to us and who are in out-of-the-way locations.
Never fear - we will find out the real scoop on each one! And the truth will set one of us free!
The truth will also write some of them tickets!
Maine - 96.41%
Indiana - 92.75%
Alabama - 92.06%
Kentucky - 89.77%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
As we narrow down our last 500 guys, we are taking a closer look at each carrier to better understand who's left on the list and why they're still on there.
In quite a few instances, we are seeing guys who say they are active interstate motor carriers but who don't register for IRP or IFTA.
After talking with our FMCSA Director, Steve Mattioli, we are kind of "stuck" in the position of having to continue to pursue these guys on the assumption that they MIGHT be operating only vehicles under 26,000 pounds. Doubtful ... but certainly possible.
The most problematic of these guys are the ones who don't get back to us and who are in out-of-the-way locations.
Never fear - we will find out the real scoop on each one! And the truth will set one of us free!
The truth will also write some of them tickets!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Getting To Zero - One More Thing
Illinois - 97.59%
Maine - 96.38%
Indiana - 92.74%
Alabama - 92.00%
Kentucky - 89.73%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
In yesterday's post, I forgot to talk about one more thing that may make "getting to zero" a little misleading - carriers who are "in process".
In addition to the "sideways adds", we are always going to have a few carriers on any given day who are "in process". In other words, there will always be a few registrations "in between" the carrier and us. Usually, this is in the mail or FedEx. They could also be planning to fax their registration in today or drop by in person. Or, they might be waiting for a permit agent to open so they can have the P/A do the registration.
When we get right down to the last few, I'm sure we'll find a couple more reasons why we can't get it right down to zero on a given day. Maybe, since we don't have direct access to MCMIS, we're going to be waiting to get status changes - from carrier to registrant or active to inactive or interstate to intrastate - in MCMIS.
At any rate, I'm thrilled that we can even contemplate these last few piddly issues. But who knows ... maybe the last 50 registrations will prove to be much tougher than I think they will. Only time will tell.
Maine - 96.38%
Indiana - 92.74%
Alabama - 92.00%
Kentucky - 89.73%
Oklahoma - 89.62%
In yesterday's post, I forgot to talk about one more thing that may make "getting to zero" a little misleading - carriers who are "in process".
In addition to the "sideways adds", we are always going to have a few carriers on any given day who are "in process". In other words, there will always be a few registrations "in between" the carrier and us. Usually, this is in the mail or FedEx. They could also be planning to fax their registration in today or drop by in person. Or, they might be waiting for a permit agent to open so they can have the P/A do the registration.
When we get right down to the last few, I'm sure we'll find a couple more reasons why we can't get it right down to zero on a given day. Maybe, since we don't have direct access to MCMIS, we're going to be waiting to get status changes - from carrier to registrant or active to inactive or interstate to intrastate - in MCMIS.
At any rate, I'm thrilled that we can even contemplate these last few piddly issues. But who knows ... maybe the last 50 registrations will prove to be much tougher than I think they will. Only time will tell.
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