A Closer Look at Suggested Changes to Truckers’ Hours-Of-Service Rules
July 23,2018
Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations dictate how long a truck driver can be on the road without a period of rest. The goal of HOS regulations is to prevent drivers from driving too long and becoming fatigued, a factor that contributes to 13 percent of commercial motor vehicle crashes. These are important safety measures for everyone on the road. However, hours-of-service regulations are designed by politicians, not truck ...
Chain-Reaction Winter Weather Accidents Caused by Big Trucks
February 28,2018
Anyone who has driven in winter weather knows that traffic accidents can very easily occur during snowstorms, “zero-visibility” fog, or icy roads created by freezing rain. Though most people may be quick to blame these crashes on the weather, driver negligence quite often contributes to collisions and resultant injuries and deaths that might have been avoided if all motorists practiced safer driving in poor weather. This i...
Are Big Rigs Going to Get Even Bigger?
January 03,2018
A proposal by more than 80 different industry groups, primarily comprised of agricultural shippers, could see truck sizes grow and create major changes on highways and roads in the United States. Pilot Proposal The coalition sent a letter to Congress on May 26 proposing a 15-year pilot program to study raising large trucks weight limits from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds on federal highways, according to Trucks.com,...
Public Outcry Could Soon Lead to Safer Commercial Trucks
November 21,2017
The recent deaths of four people from a multi-vehicle crash one late July night on an interstate highway in New York were the latest tragedies connected to the absence of underride truck guards – steel guards on the sides of commercial trucks that can prevent cars from becoming wedged underneath these large vehicles in a wreck. The victims – in two separate cars – were all killed instantly when they plowed underneath t...
Health Issues Can Affect Truck Driver Safety
September 01,2017
Truck drivers operate heavy machinery in traffic for long hours at a time. They encounter weather conditions that are difficult to navigate, such as heavy rain, high winds, and icy roads. They have to quickly react to other vehicles on the road that may stop short or cut into lanes without signaling. However, the less obvious issue of driver health can be one of the most important safety risks. Sleep apnea, high blood pres...