DISPATCH driver who is licensed by a foreign authority rather than by a State , that provision would be amended to provide that motor carriers must make an annual inquiry to each driver ' s licensing authority where a driver holds or has held a CMV operator ' s license or permit . This change would require motor carriers to request the MVR equivalent from Canadian and Mexican driver ' s licensing authorities . FMCSA expects that removing the requirement for drivers to provide a list of their convictions for traffic violations to their employers annually would reduce the paperwork burden on drivers and motor carriers without adversely affecting CMV safety . Comments on this notice of proposed rulemaking ( NPRM ) and information collection must be received on or before February 12 , 2021 .
MITRE : Face masks , open windows on buses reduce potential infections particles in the air
Opening windows and using existing fans on a bus was shown to reduce exhaled airborne particles by up to 84 percent , and thereby could lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure , according to research by MITRE using buses provided by the City of Colorado Springs Mountain Metro Transit and Colorado Springs School District 11 . Wearing a mask alone can also reduce the spread of potentially infectious particles by 50 percent or more depending on the quality of the mask . Those are the key findings of a MITRE study to test aerosol dispersion on buses and determine the best methods to control potentially infectious airborne particles such as COVID-19 . When an infected person exhales , sneezes , or coughs , they create small aerosol particles containing the disease , which then spreads or is dispersed throughout the air space in the bus . The study included more than 84 test runs on both school buses and low-floor transit buses using a mechanical cough simulator that dispersed the test aerosol while the buses drove normal routes over 10 days between August 3 and September 4 , 2020 . The safe sodium chloride test aerosol generated a variety of particle sizes down to 300 nanometers — similar to a human cough — and were detected by 28 sensors placed throughout the passenger areas . No passengers were on the buses during the study . Unlike a highly engineered passenger cabin of a commercial aircraft , buses have turbulent environments where the airflow is not steady , making this kind of study complex . MITRE has also posted a video that shows the experiments in action .
• After 78.3 million data points and 124 miles of on-the-road testing , key results include :
• Wearing of masks reduced the overall particle count released into the bus by an average of 50 % or more and reduced the dispersion distance by several feet .
• When masks were NOT worn , dispersed particles spread through the whole bus .
• Having all the windows open and dashboard fans running reduced the particle counts by an average of 84 percent on school buses and 50 percent on transit buses .
• Likewise , the windows and fans also reduced the time that particles remain aloft by 80 percent in school buses and 60 percent on transit buses .
• Bus HVAC systems when used with MERV-13 air filters eliminated airborne particles within 4 minutes . ( applicable only to transit buses )
• The back row of seats tends to accumulate more particles . The MITRE team , led by scientist Nathan Edwards , worked to understand the risk of airborne particle transmission while riding on school and public transportation buses , and to bring scientific clarity of the best options for all public transportation systems . While the results and recommendations seem intuitive , the data may help inform decisions on the best COVID-19 risk mitigation options for public transit . The key findings and recommendations from this study are :
• Require all passengers and drivers to wear masks on buses .
• Open windows partially or fully to make a significant difference in reducing airborne risks .
• Drivers and operators can reduce their risk of exposure by using a dashboard fan to create airflow in the driver seat area .
• Consider seating arrangements that only allow for samehousehold passengers to sit together .
• Social distancing of 6 feet is not practical on most buses , but any extra distance allows the air movement to reduce exposure to infectious particles .
• When it is safe and possible to do so , open transit bus doors at every stop to allow for better air exchange .
• When it is not possible to open windows and doors due to weather , or to add better filtration to the buses , consider cancelling bus services .
ATWEC finalizes $ 1.96M deal to acquire SafeBus Technologies
ATWEC Technologies , Inc . ( ATWT ), a U . S . -based technology company specializing in child safety , today announced the completion of its 100 percent acquisition of SafeBus Technologies , Inc ., a private US technology company specializing in mobile " invehicle " IP wireless security solutions for the Education , Senior and Tourism markets . The now finalized deal valued at $ 1.96 million in cash and stock require mandatory due diligence from ATWT ' s legal counsel . SafeBus Technologies , Inc ., headquartered in Atlanta , Georgia , will become a wholly owned subsidiary of ATWT , and its shareholders will receive $ 560,000 in cash and 80M shares of restricted common stock in the deal . " Closing this merger is a significant step towards our mutual goal of becoming a major corporate player in the child safety industry ,”
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