It's no secret that many transportation professionals might consider an OSHA visit about as likely as a visit from Santa Claus. After all, your greatest concern in terms of regulations and compliance is the Department of Transportation, not OSHA. 

If you are one of those people, you are certainly not alone; but $156,000 says that I can change your mind by the end of this blog. 

Some trucking companies use the words safety and compliance interchangeably, as the line between them seems to have been blurred by federal regulators placing a great deal of focus on CSA numbers. Indeed, both are important, but they are definitely not the same. 

The headlines are filled with stories touting shocking cyber breaches where business or personal information is compromised. Let's be clear: this is one situation where not all publicity is good publicity. No business wants to expose itself, its employees or its customers to any kind of cyber breach. 

95% of cyber breaches are caused by one of three things: hackers, rogue employees, or loss or theft of equipment. These are not just a threat for large corporations; small- to mid-sized businesses face an equal—if not greater—risk, and have fewer resources to effectively clean up and recover after a breach occurs.

Do you have an ERISA compliant Summary Plan Desription document? If that question only generates more questions, don't worry, you are not alone. 

Many employers are unaware of the SPD requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). And many who have SPDs don't have all of their bases covered either. 

Preparing an ERISA compliant SPD requires a great deal of time and resources and it can be incredibly costly. But if you fail to comply with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulations, you can be subject to fines for non-compliance as well as greater exposures during an audit.

The status quo in OSHA safety compliance is about to be seriously challenged. 

For the first time in a quarter century, OSHA will in 2016 increase its fines for safety violations. This unwelcome surprise came as a result of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (H.R. 1314), signed by President Obama on November 2, 2015. Section 701 of the Bill, entitled the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, allows OSHA to increase its fines based on inflation where it was previously exempt from doing so.  

Update (11/12/2015): Due to an overwhelming number of responses to the proposed DOL overtime regulations, the DOL indicated that any final regulations on the new overtime rule likely will not be published before late 2016.   Over 250,000 public comments were received on the proposed rule changes. We will provide further updates as we receive them. 

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued proposed changes to the overtime eligibility rules with respect to the executive, administrative and professional employee classifications otherwise known as “salaried” or “exempt” employees.

Effective leadership is all about clarity.  Being clear about where you want to go, what you want to achieve and how you're going to get there.   

ANDREA TARRELL
Director of Marketing at HNI 

Our team members are committed to changing the game for our clients, our company, and our community.  Some of them you may “know” from their blogs and social media activity, even if you haven’t had the opportunity to meet them in person yet. 

Drivers are the heart of the trucking industry – so finding ways to attract them, keep them, and coach them into top performers is essential. 

MARK BRAULT, JD
Compliance Advisor/Benefits Attorney at HNI

Last week, on October 7, 2015, President Obama signed legislation called the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees (PACE) Act that amends the Affordable Care Act (ACA) definition of a “small employer” for the purpose of purchasing health insurance coverage.