ClaimShield

01/23/2026

Friends and colleagues from Texas to the East Coast, please pay very close attention to the forecast of the approaching winter storm this weekend. While there is still the possibility of the storm changing its track, models show high confidence in a major "historical" winter event for millions of people in these states. There will be a line running northeast through the entire storm system. On the north side of that line, heavy snow accumulations are forecast. On the south side of that line, an extremely dangerous ice storm is shaping up.

Please make contingency plans now for how this storm will impact your business and employees on Monday morning. Prepare for loss of power, impassable roads, and unreliable communications. Where possible, I am highly recommending people plan for employees to work from home on Monday. Construction and service industries might need to remain closed on Monday. The most heavily impacted areas might need to extend this into Tuesday and possibly even Wednesday.

The exact path this storm takes will determine what type of precipitation your area receives and how much. This is a potentially dangerous situation. Please plan accordingly and don't put your employees at risk by asking them to come to work if the road conditions are hazardous.

06/26/2025

New certified Forklift Operators. What a great group. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot at the same time. They especially liked my "Tonka" forklift model I use for some demonstrations.

Be safe, guys!

02/08/2025

This is happening on almost a weekly basis across the country. Sometimes workers get killed; sometimes they get lucky and escape with only injuries.

If you think it can't happen to your employees, you're wrong. Dead wrong.

Please invest in proper trenching & excavation safety training for your employees as well as the protective systems they will need for any trench five feet or more in depth. Those costs are insignificant to what an employee fatality will cost you.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A construction worker is dead after a trench he was working in collapsed in southwest Houston, according to the Houston Fire Department.

Houston fire crews responded to the trench collapse at about 1:52 p.m. Wednesday at the Stoneriver Apartments on 8901 Bissonnet Street.

According to fire officials, the trench is approximately 8 feet deep.

When HFD arrived, they found construction crews performing CPR on the injured crew member.

Witnesses told law enforcement that two construction crew employees were inside the trench when the collapse happened.

Authorities say one man was able to escape while the other was not.

Officials pronounced one of the construction workers dead at around 2 p.m.

An investigation is still ongoing.
Source: http://bit.ly/410NPJ8

01/22/2025

Check out our new onboarding process video 🎥! See how easy it is to stay compliant and hire drivers with our simple and efficient system. 🚚💼👍

12/21/2024

ClaimShield's Safety Santa stopped by and visited with some friends this past week. He even helped manage traffic on a construction site while a worker took a bathroom break (wearing appropriate hi-viz PPE, of course).

I love this part of my job. Just because safety is a serious topic doesn't mean we can't have some fun with it along the way!

Got lots of smiles, waves, and horn honks from drivers while I briefly managed traffic at a construction site wearing this outfit. I might have discovered a part-time gig for the holidays! If you want Safety Santa directing traffic at *your* construction site, I happen to know how to get in touch with him!

12/16/2024

FMCSA adds four new types of crashes as eligible for ‘Not Preventable’ status.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently expended the types of crashes eligible for review under the agency’s Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP).

The CPDP allows trucking companies involved in a crash to submit evidence and a request a review through the DataQs system asking for the FMCSA to rule the crash “Not Preventable.” If the FMCSA determined that a crash is “Not Preventable,” that crash will be removed from the calculation of the Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) score.

On December 1, 2024, FMCSA added four new crash types that are eligible for CPDP review and expanded eligibility for current crash types to include indirect strikes. The four new crash types increase the number of crash types eligible for review to 21.

The four new crash types eligible for review are:

1. CMV was struck on the side by a motorist operating in the same direction.

2. CMV was struck because another motorist was entering the roadway from a private driveway or parking lot.

3. CMV was struck because another motorist lost control of their vehicle.

4. Any other type of crash involving a CMV where a video demonstrates the sequence of events of the crash.

FMCSA notes that this is the first time that carriers have been permitted to request a review based solely on video evidence.

The expanded eligible crash list applies to crashes on or after December 1, 2024. FMCSA will review crashes prior to December 1, 2024, under the previous standards, and cannot evaluate crashes older than five years, the agency stated in a recent blog post .

See below for the full 21 types of crashes eligible for review:

1. CMV was struck in the rear by a motorist.

2. CMV was struck on the side at the rear by a motorist.

3. CMV was struck on the side by a motorist operating in the same direction as CMV.

4. CMV was struck because another motorist was driving in the wrong direction.

5. CMV was struck because another motorist was making a U-turn or illegal turn.

6. CMV was struck while legally stopped at a traffic control device or parked, including while the vehicle was unattended.

7. CMV was struck because another motorist did not stop or slow in traffic.

8. CMV was struck because another motorist failed to stop at a traffic control device.

9. CMV was struck because another individual was under the influence (or related violation, such as operating while intoxicated), according to the legal standard of the jurisdiction where the crash occurred.

10. CMV was struck because another motorist experienced a medical issue which contributed to the crash.

11. CMV was struck because another motorist fell asleep.

12. CMV was struck because another motorist was distracted (e.g., cellphone, GPS, passengers, other).

13. CMV was struck by cargo or equipment from another vehicle, or debris (e.g., fallen rock, fallen trees, unidentifiable items in the road).

14. CMV crash was a result of an infrastructure failure.

15. CMV struck an animal.

16. CMV crash involving a su***de death or su***de attempt.

17. CMV was struck because another motorist was entering the roadway from a private driveway or parking lot.

18. CMV was struck because another motorist lost control of the vehicle.

19. CMV was involved in a crash with a non-motorist.

20. CMV was involved in a crash type that seldom occurs and does not meet another eligible crash type (e.g., being struck by an airplane or skydiver or being struck by a deceased driver in another vehicle).

21. Any other crash involving a CMV where a video demonstrates the sequence of events of the crash.

11/24/2024

Congratulations to another group of certified Class VII PIT operators! Great job, guys!

11/15/2024

83% of construction workers struggle with mental illness (survey conducted in 2020) and 6,000 construction workers died by su***de in 2022. This is an alarming increase and is hugely disproportional to su***des by workers in other industries. This affects both male and female construction workers.

Know the signs. Know when and how to intervene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8TgVR33KM

***de

At times, it can be obvious when someone is struggling to cope. But sometimes the signs are harder to spot. Check in on those around you. ...

11/15/2024

Changes coming to the FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse next week that could seriously affect your company if you have CDL drivers on the road:

https://www.tiktok.com//video/7436535615253974302

Please contact us with any questions.

1391 likes, 244 comments. “ ”

11/06/2024

Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) 2025

All motor carriers, brokers, and leasing companies that haul across state lines or within a state that adheres to the UCR program, are required to register their US DOT Numbers with the Unified Carrier Registration.

All UCR filings will be completed during normal business hours.

Starting January 1, 2025, all relevant companies in the trucking industry, that lack Unified Carrier Registration compliance, may be subjected to citations, fines, and penalties imposed by individual states, the DOT and the board of the Unified Carrier Registration. You will also not be allowed to renew your trucks' registrations as well as IFTA. In order to ensure complete compliance, the aforementioned freight hauling companies are advised to verify that the number of trucks requiring registration matches the amount listed on the MCS-150 / Biennial Update that was last filed (this number will affect filing fee and truck tier pricing). Please note, pricing is for the UCR filing fee, processing fee, filing fee and there may be additional fees for processing time as well as a certificate.

For brokers, it is recommended to complete this registration under the 1-2 trucks section if business operations include interstate activity (if brokering any loads outside of the state the company is operating in).

09/17/2024

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW)

Nearly every aspect of daily life is made possible because a truck driver delivered the goods and resources people need.

NTDAW is an important time for America to thank all the professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in undertaking one of our economy's most demanding and important jobs. These 3.5 million professional men and women not only deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time, but they also keep our highways safe.

Please join us September 15-21, 2024 for this year’s celebration.