In working to improve road safety, federal agencies are considering if equipping trucks with speed limiters could decrease the severity of crashes and resulting injuries and fatalities. Some trucking organizations and private citizens, however, claim there is a lack of evidence the devices mitigate hazardous incidents and suggest they actually might cause more problems. In […]
Trucking Laws
New Truck Safety Rules Delayed Again
In 2006, the American Trucking Association and Roadsafe America petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to establish a rule regarding the use of speed-limiters on heavy trucks. In May of last year, the FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration agreed on a joint rule and submitted it to the White House Office […]
Semi Truck Configuration and Weight Restrictions
The design of a tractor trailer is the result of many things. Federal regulations require certain safety equipment. Fuel efficiency and driver comfort play a role in the design of truck cabs. The basic structure, however, is the result of a standardization method known as containerization. The idea behind containerization is to create containers of […]
House Votes to Overturn Governor’s Veto of Truck Speed Limit
When the Illinois House and Senate voted to raise the speed limit for semi trucks from 55 mph to 60 mph, Governor Quinn vetoed the measure. The law applied to interstate highways in Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Will counties that were not in urban areas. Governor Quinn claimed the measure would lead to more […]
Controversy Over Veto of Truck Speed Limit Law
A measure that passed unanimously in the Illinois House and Senate was vetoed by Governor Quinn this week. The law would have raised the speed limit for trucks traveling on interstates in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties from 55 miles per hour to 60. The law was positioned as a return to […]
Bill Proposed to Help Truck Accident Victims Gain Proper Compensation
Following a serious truck accident, victims and their families often must turn to the truck company’s insurance provider to obtain proper compensation. The minimum insurance policy a truck company can hold under the law is $750,000. This level was set in 1985, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Due to rising medical costs […]
Truck Drivers And State Marijuana Laws
Individual states have taken steps to legalize medical and even recreational use of marijuana in recent years. While the states have the right to make these decisions, commercial drivers, pilots and operators are still bound by federal regulations concerning safe operation of buses, trains, planes and trucks. Truck drivers are still in violation of these […]
A Forum on Attentive Driving
The competition for a driver’s attention used to be between driving, the radio and other passengers. That competition now includes cell phones, GPS devices, iPods and other personal electronic devices. The increase in serious car and truck accidents caused by distracted driving has caused the National Transportation Safety Board to hold a forum designed to […]
New Cell Phone Ban for Commercial Truck Drivers
The Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has decided to ban the use of hand-held cell-phones for commercial vehicle drivers. The ban is the latest effort to reduce serious truck accidents caused by distracted driving. In 2010, the DOT passed a rule banning text messaging by bus and truck drivers. This […]
NTSB Forum focuses on improving trucking and bus safety
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) convened a public forum from May 10-11 in Washington, DC to review progress made over the last decade in improving truck and bus safety and to discuss steps that must be taken to improve safety in the future. Day 1 of the forum focused on improving the safety culture […]
Trucking Industry Objects to Proposed Cell Phone Restrictions on Truck Drivers
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, nearly 60,000 people were injured and 3,380 people were killed in truck crashes in 2009. Many of these deaths and injuries were caused by distracted truck drivers using cell phones. “Every time a commercial truck or bus driver takes his or her eyes off the road to use a cell […]
Daughter Of Trucking Crash Victim Hands Out First-Ever Top Trucking Safety Award – To VP Of Trucking Company That Killed Her Father
At this year’s Sleep Apnea and Trucking Conference, held on May 11-12 in Baltimore, Don Osterberg, vice president of safety and driver training for Green Bay, Wisconsin-based trucking company Schneider National, was presented with the first-ever Distinguished Safety Leadership award, which was created by the Truck Safety Coalition. Osterberg’s receipt of the award was an unexpected moment […]
U.S Department Of Transportation’s FMCSA Launches National Pre-Employment Screening Program Granting Employers Access To Drivers’ Inspections And Crash Records
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced today the launch of its Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP), a uniform investigatory system that will allow commercial motor carriers access to the crash and inspection records of all candidates seeking employment as commercial vehicle drivers. The PSP is part of the FMCSA’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 […]
U.S. Department Of Transportation Issues New Rule Requiring Repeat Offender Motor Carriers To Install Devices That Record Hours Of Vehicle Operation
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it was implementing a new rule that, according to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, is aimed at “cracking down on carriers and drivers who put people on our roads and highways at risk” by violating federal hours-of-service (HOS) regulations. Pursuant to the new rule, […]
Bus Company Responsible For Fatal Phoenix Interstate Crash Was Operating Illegally; FMCSA Granted Emergency Action To Shut Down Carrier
The company involved in the fatal, March 5 bus crash outside of Phoenix, Arizona had been denied passenger carrier operating authority in April, 2009, but continued to operate anyways, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Pursuant to an emergency request by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Tierra Santa, Inc., was ordered […]
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Rolls Out Phase One Of Driver Pre-Employment Screening
In line with the upcoming, nation-wide implementation of Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched Friday the initial phase of its Driver Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP). The PSP, one of the many changes the FMCSA is making to the current regulations governing large motor carriers, will enable carrier […]
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Preparing To Implement Initiative Aimed At Improving Trucking Safety Standards
In an effort to enhance and update the current safety standards of the trucking industry, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is in the process of finalizing and nationally introducing a initiative two years in the making. Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) is a program designed by the FMCSA which introduces an updated enforcement and […]
