What the law says about big rigs parking on the road shoulder

Posted on December 19, 2019

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...

How marijuana laws have changed – but not for truck drivers

Posted on November 19, 2018

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...

Trump administration just shelved these trucking safety rules

Posted on February 26, 2018

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...

Trump on Trucking: Week One

Posted on January 31, 2017

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...

This trucking law starts in 2017 – and Trump (probably) won’t stop it …

Posted on November 17, 2016

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),...

Trucking industry fights to hide truck safety records from public

Posted on September 24, 2014

It’s rare that hiding information helps to solve a problem. This is not an exception. The Safer Trucks and Buses Act, a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Barletta, would remove the trucking carrier safety rankings from public view. Anyone can check a carrier’s safety record on the Federal Motor Carrier...

Chasing the chameleon

Posted on August 8, 2014

The term “chameleon” refers to one that is subject to quick or frequent change, especially in appearance. Chameleons change in order to hide. Hiding from safety In the trucking industry, The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) use a DOT number to identify every company that operates semi-trucks. Theses...