On November 18, the Illinois Limousine and Bus Association (ILLBA) held the latest edition of their Coffee With ILLBA webinar series. Though operators from around the country are invited to participate, this month’s programming was especially geared towards the Chicagoland market as it dealt with DOT regulations and requirements. The ILLBA Board welcomed guest speaker John Murphy, MCSAP compliance officer of Illinois DOT who shared a multi-tiered presentation that covered registration requirements, insurance requirements, driver qualification and hours of service, drug testing, and inspections.
ILLBA President Kaya Armagan of Flash Limousine and Buses
ILLBA President Kaya Armagan of Flash Limousine and Buses kicked off the seminar by welcoming attendees and thanking the Board members. He then introduced Murphy, who provided some background on his department.
“A big part of what we do is industry outreach,” says Murphy, who then elaborated that the DOT’s goal is to eliminate fatalities of Illinois highways.
Murphy continued by detailing the two types of regulations—commercial and safety—and clarifying the difference of interstate and intrastate travel, relating to operators.
Among his various bullet points and areas of conversation, Murphy discussed insurance, particularly the requirements operators are bound to. All vehicles with 16 passengers (including driver) must hold coverage of $5 million; however, vehicles with 15 passengers or fewer are required to hold $1.5 million. Murphy also stated that operators should have a Form MCS-90B—endorsement from insurance companies—in their files.
After fielding some questions from attendees, Murphy then discussed drug and alcohol testing for CDL drivers as well as maintenance file requirements. A key area discussed was common inspection violations, which include brake issues, inoperative lights, expired inspection, unpaid UCR fees, exhaust leaks, biennial updates, and inoperative/poorly marked emergency exits.
Before concluding, Murphy answered more in-depth questions.
As with all Coffee With ILLBA webinars, this program is available on the association’s YouTube channel, which can be accessed by clicking here.
ILLBA members can look forward to two in-person events in the coming months. First is a breakfast meeting scheduled for December 16 at 9 a.m. (location TBD), followed by the group’s annual New Year dinner at Carlucci Restaurant in Rosemont, on January 13 at 4:30 p.m.
Visit illba.org for more information.
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