The Kansas-based trucking company, YRC Worldwide, had a difficult year in 2019. It had lost more than $100 million and was being sued by the Justice Department for allegedly defrauding the federal government. But, as The New York Times reports, YRC received a $700 million loan in exchange for a 30 percent stake in the business.
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Drug and Alcohol Testing Requirements for Carriers Modified in Face of COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a tidal wave of regulatory changes in the trucking industry that are intended to help carriers meet the demands of the supply chain amidst increasing public health restraints.
One responsibility carriers have is to ensure their drivers stay in compliance with the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requirements. These requirements cover everything from licensing to health screening to vehicle maintenance. But what do drivers and carriers do when they are unable to meet these requirements because the necessary service providers are closed or unable to book appointments?
Training Delays for Entry-Level Truck Drivers Poses Risks
Although it had planned to institute universal training standards for entry-level truck drivers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that it will be delaying the training requirements for two years.
The Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) guidelines were intended to take effect on February 7, 2020, but the compliance date has been pushed back to February 7, 2022. According to the FMCSA, the delay will help establish important IT infrastructure that will act as a registry of compliant programs. However, the delay will also result in a continuance of under-trained entry-level truck drivers on the road, creating risk for travelers.
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U.S. Slow to Require Side Underride Guards on Trucks
A total of 4,102 people died in truck crashes in 2017, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).[1] The majority of those people (82 percent) were occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorists.[2] The most common fatal injury in trucking accidents is being crushed by falling in the exposed space between the front and rear wheels of a truck.[3] According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, truck crashes are more likely to be side impact crashes.[4] In fact, between 2005 and 2009, 556 pedestrians and bicyclists in the U.S. were killed after side-impacts with trucks.[5]
Lives can be saved by implementing measures to help prevent side-impacts with trucks. One such measure is the installation of side guards on trucks with high ground clearance. A number of studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden, and the Netherlands show that side guards dramatically decrease the number of fatalities in trucking accidents.[6] After truck side guards were mandated in the U.K., cyclist fatalities dropped 61 percent and pedestrian fatalities dropped 20 percent for side-impact accidents.[7]
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American Association for Justice Sends FMCSA Comments in Response to Hours of Service Proposed Rule
The American Association for Justice (AAJ) has submitted comments in response to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) advance notice of proposed rulemaking for hours-of-service (HOS) for commercial truck drivers. The rulemaking process was first announced at the end of August 2018, when the FMCSA declared that they would be reviewing the existing HOS regulations which limit the total operating hours a commercial truck driver works on duty.
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Slow to Make Changes as Deadly Truck Crashes Increase
According to the U.S. federal government statistics, over 4,300 people have been killed in crashes involving tractor-trailers and other large trucks in 2016, which is a 28 percent increase over 2009. Fatal truck crashes are growing at almost three times the rate of deadly crashes overall in the U.S. For years, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has supported life-saving legislation that would require all heavy trucks to be equipped with crash-avoidance technology.
Continue Reading National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Slow to Make Changes as Deadly Truck Crashes Increase
Truck Safety Technology Can Prevent Thousands of Crashes Every Year
A new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report found that truck safety technologies can prevent as many as 77,077 crashes, 23,275 injuries, and the loss of 500 lives per year. The report, Leveraging Large Truck Technology and Engineering to Realize Safety Gains, examined the safety benefits and costs of installing four advanced safety technologies in existing and new large trucks.
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2018 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week
September 9-15, 2018 is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, according to the American Trucking Association (AMA). This week-long commemoration is held every September, and was selected to honor professional truck drivers for all their hard work and commitment assisting American businesses across the country. According to the AMA, there are approximately 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S., all of whom are working diligently to deliver products safely, securely, and on time across our nation.
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Announces Potential Reform of Hours of Service Regulations
On August 21, 2018, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) announced that it has commenced a rulemaking process that is aimed at reforming specific areas of the current hours-of-service regulation. The hours-of-service (HOS) regulation was enacted to limit the total operating hours a commercial truck driver works on duty. The FMCSA will be examining four areas of the existing regulation. Once decided, the new rules, will be published as an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
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Truck Drivers Frequently Forced by Companies to Work Without Sleep
A USA Today investigation has shown that port trucking companies frequently put out “hundreds of impaired drivers on the road” who are driving with little to no sleep. This is in clear violation of federal safety regulations, and puts thousands of fellow drivers at risk every day.
Technically, there is currently no accurate tracking system available to track commercial truck movements nationwide. USA Today instead worked with publicly available information to build a tracking system after the fact.
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