Laws and potential legislation that affect public safety, the trucking industry
I was recently asked about the laws governing truck parking along the highway. Last month an Oregon man died after crashing into a semi truck parked on the shoulder of OR Highway 201. There was a similar crash the month before, involving a mail truck and a parked big rig. The law about parking big rigs [...]
Laws in several states permit the sale and use of recreational marijuana. In another 31 states and Washington D.C., laws allow for medical marijuana. Oregon, Washington, and Colorado—the first states to legalize recreational marijuana—have had a 5.2% overall increase in crashes, according to an IIHS study. We are only beginning to understand the effect that marijuana [...]
It is undisputed: there is a commercial truck driver shortage across the U.S. The Trump administration is pushing forward on a pilot program that would allow people as young as 18 years old to drive commercial trucks. The pilot program will train young people with military experience; it is laying the groundwork for lowering the minimum [...]
At least a dozen significant pending safety rules have just been shelved by the US Department of Transportation. Here are the nixed regulations that would have applied to trucking safety. Speed limiters There is a direct correlation between stopping distances and rate of speed. Small increases in speed have large effects on the force of an [...]
In his first week in office, President Trump issued orders to executive agencies that affect trucking safety. Here's what we know, so far. President Trump on Trucking Safety: Week 1 Shortly after his inauguration, President Trump issued an executive order freezing all pending federal regulations now in process. Any regulation signed by President Obama in his final [...]
Truckers and other commercial vehicle drivers are required by law to keep track of the number of hours they spend behind the wheel. Some drivers still use paper logs to record these metrics. After years of study, the FMCSA is requiring commercial truck drivers to switch from paper logs to an Electronic Logging Device (ELD), [...]
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent body within the federal government that investigates all plane crashes in the U.S., as well as significant crashes on our highways, and maritime and train accidents. What does NTSB do? Most people, if they've heard of NTSB at all, associate the organization with plane crash investigations. They do [...]
The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT, or DOT) is the federal government agency in charge of transportation planning, funding, and safety. The top priorities at DOT are to keep the traveling public safe and secure, increase their mobility, and have our transportation system contribute to the nation's economic growth. - transportation.gov What does [...]
Most city streets, with tight intersections and multiple stoplights, were not designed to accommodate tractor-trailer trucks alongside pedestrians and bicyclists. Large trucks have a high, wide gap between the truck's front and rear tires. This dangerous space is where 50% of the deaths from truck and bicycle collisions occur. A truck side guard is a [...]
Right now, there are easily tens of thousands of semi-trucks delivering parts and products all over the United States. It is in the public interest that those trucks—and truck drivers—operate safely on our roads and highways. That's why there's a government agency in charge of setting and enforcing rules for commercial trucks and buses: the [...]
