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 [...]
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), [...]
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 [...]
Every year, thousands of Americans suffer fatal injuries from truck crashes. Each one of those victims could leave behind dozens of family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors who are affected by a preventable tragedy. This week, the Truck Safety Coalition hosted a Sorrow to Strength conference. Truck crash survivors, and the families and friends of [...]
A quick lesson in trucking law: maintenance duty You probably know that specific laws and regulations apply to all commercial trucks that use our public highways.* One of those rules: every trucking company must have a regular truck maintenance program to keep its equipment in safe operating condition. As a back-up, the truck driver must [...]
Late on Friday, Senator Cory Booker introduced The Truck Safety Act (S. 1739). The bill would update Reagan-era insurance minimums; pay truckers for their time instead of their mileage; and, make commercial trucks use some of the same safety technology as passenger cars. Fixing the minimum amount of insurance for trucks The minimum amount of [...]