MEET JACK CANNON! SHANNON LAW GROUP’S NEWEST MEMBER
I am delighted to introduce myself as the newest member of the Shannon Law Group team as Of Counsel. As some of you may know, I was born in the United States and raised in Dublin, Ireland. I returned to the U.S. to attend Loyola University in Chicago, where I played Division I soccer. I spent the next several years as a high-rise concrete laborer with Laborers Local 4. I began attending John Marshall Law School in 1990 and graduated in 1993. I have been practicing personal injury and workers’ compensation law for the past 26 years. I believe my experience in the construction field has helped me better understand and more zealously represent injured workers. In addition to practicing, I also have a passion for educating; I frequently teach on the topic of personal injury, wrongful death and the Illinois
Workers’ Compensation Act, as well as authoring numerous articles for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. I was fortunate to be elected by my peers as President of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association in 2016. My wife Stacey and I have three grown children and reside in north suburban Chicago. When I’m not in the office, I enjoy cooking with my wife, reading, listening to music, exercising and watching soccer. I am also a color commentator on ESPN for Loyola University soccer games. I am grateful to be joining such a tremendous team. I hope to meet a lot of you in the coming year. Please do not hesitate to contact me with a question or legal issue. – Jack Cannon
3 CHANGES TO NOTE 2020 TRUCKING REGULATIONS AIMED AT SAFER ROADS
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, sometimes referred to as DOT regulations, govern just about every interstate trucking company in the country. A new wave of changes to those regulations goes into effect in early 2020. These changes aim to create safer driving environments for all of us who share the roads with large trucks. Here are three positive safety changes coming to the trucking regulations in 2020. 1. UPDATED ENTRY-LEVEL DRIVER TRAINING For the last several decades, DOT regulations have been largely quiet about any training required for commercial drivers — even new drivers. That’s about to change. Starting in February 2020, training requirements for new truck drivers will increase dramatically. Previously, drivers had to pass tests in five categories of truck driving operations. Under the new regulations, drivers must show competence in 31 categories of driving operations. These new regulations also increase the minimum standards for USDOT-certified driver safety training instructors. Starting next month, these instructors must have at least two years of behind- the-wheel experience and a clean motor vehicle record, as well as enhanced “train the trainer” education courses. 2. ALCOHOL AND DRUG CLEARINGHOUSE As of Jan. 6, 2020, all USDOT motor carriers must comply with the DOT Alcohol and Drug Clearinghouse system. The clearinghouse was established to prevent truck drivers who have a history of driving under the influence from lying to new employers about
their history and receiving keys to a new semi-tractor trailer. In order for trucking companies to comply with the clearinghouse rules, they must report all drug and alcohol violations by any of their drivers to the DOT database. 3. ELECTRONIC MONITORING FULL COMPLIANCE In 2012, Congress enacted a bill requiring trucking companies to implement Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) in their trucks. ELDs replace drivers’ paper logs they were required to fill out to ensure compliance with “hours of service” requirements of the DOT regulations. Prior to the ELD mandate, Shannon Law Group saw firsthand the devastating effects of fatigued drivers who drove more than their allotted hours because they falsified their paper logs. The ELD mandate attempted to remedy that common problem by taking the honor system out of logging hours. Though most companies had to comply with the mandate by 2017, some trucking companies were given an extended
deadline for compliance until December 2019. By the time you’re reading this, every trucking company subject to DOT regulations must be in full compliance of the ELD mandate. – Pat Cummings
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