I have been working on a number of cases recently that have been very time consuming and have not been able to update this blog as much as I would like. My clients come first so no apologies, but I hope you find this update to be useful. This is my best guess as to what will impact safety
Heavy Truck Bill Defeated – For Now…
I have previously blogged on the danger of large trucks on the roads, (Bigger Trucks are Bigger Problems, Heavy Trucks Take Toll on Bridges and Highways, and Overloaded Trucks Kill) so I am extremely happy to tell you that the Truck Safety Coalition reported today that:
Yesterday the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee marked up its major
ACTION NEEDED TO STOP TRUCK SIZE AND WEIGHT INCREASES
January 25, 2012
House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Mica is expected to release the multi-year surface transportation reauthorization bill (H.R. 7) imminently. Congressman Jimmy Duncan is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit on that Committee and is very influential as such.
Trucking interests are lobbying for increases to federal truck sizes and weights
Truck Fatalities and Injuries Increase in 2010
NHTSA stated that both injuries and deaths from trucks increased almost 10% in 2010, a surprise since the economy has kept people, and trucks off the roads. Combine the economy with the fact that cars are (generally speaking) safer every year – and there were the fewest overall deaths on the road in 60 years in 2010 – the
Truck Drivers on Drugs – Meth
I post frequently on the danger of impaired drivers, and specifically the dangers from impaired truck drivers. Not much surprises me anymore, this one did:
State police report finding meth labs in truck
August 18, 2011
A Mississippi truck driver was arrested Thursday morning after Kentucky State Police found two active methamphetamine labs in
Roadcheck 2011 – Unsafe Truck Drivers and Trucks on the Roads
The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance (CMVSA) held its Roadcheck 2011 event in June this year. This event asks for all states to inspect trucks on the road. Less than 1% of trucks are inspected. By announcing the inspections 4 months in advance, the CMVSA gives drivers and trucking companies four months to prepare
FMCSA STATES IT SHOULD REGULATE BROKER’s AND SHIPPER’s
The FMCSA stated that it wants to be able to regulate shippers and brokers over the next five years. This is a good idea and a long time coming. The FMCSA strategic plan covers the goals from 2011-2016.
Brokers and shippers frequently make drivers carry over-limit loads, or require runs that either force the driver to
Roadcheck 2011 Results
So what was good and bad about Raodcheck 2011? The following Chart of Violations tells the story:
1 in 4 Trucks in Texas Unsafe and Shouldn’t Be On the Roads!
Roadcheck was in June and results are starting to be reported. So how did Texas do? On an ANNOUNCED inspection OVER 1 in 4 trucks was deemed to be so unsafe they were told to stop operating until they fixed a safety issue. The reported numbers from KMOO can be found HERE . The article stated in
OIDA ALMOST GETS IT RIGHT ON MEXICAN TRUCKING
Recently Todd Spencer, vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OIDA) stated "This program [full access to the US of Mexican domiciled trucking companies] will jeopardize the livelihoods of tens of thousands of U.S. based small-business truckers and professional truck drivers and undermine the standard of living for the rest of the driver community." He