Safety and Crash Prevention Archives - Page 2 of 2

Are speed limiters in heavy trucks really a good idea?

The idea is that semi-trucks and other heavy commercial vehicles shouldn't be able to speed on U.S. roads and highways. In August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration jointly proposed that all new trucks, buses, and commercial passenger vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds have speed limiting devices [...]

Trucking Watchdog2016-12-13T20:39:00+00:00Trucking Technology|

Trucking Tech: New crash avoidance system study results are amazing

A couple of years ago, a Walmart truck rear-ended a limo van at a ridiculously high rate of speed. One man was killed, and several others seriously injured—including actor Tracy Morgan. That crash was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This slide from the NTSB’s presentation shows the crushed interior of the limo [...]

Trucking Watchdog2016-06-17T18:43:18+00:00Trucking Technology|

Trucking Tech: Watch how a $30k retrofit makes an autonomous truck

A tech start-up is betting on an autonomous truck hitting the road in the U.S. —and soon. The former Google engineers at Otto designed a $30,000 kit that can retrofit semi-trucks with new autonomous driving technology. The autonomous truck package includes extra cameras, radar, and lights sensors. A computer gathers all of that information, adds [...]

Trucking Watchdog2019-01-28T00:34:45+00:00Trucking Technology|

All heavy trucks should have crash-avoidance braking systems by now

This is a “forward collision avoidance and mitigation braking” system. Volvo shows how the auto-braking system could prevent thousands of rear-end truck crashes a year When radar and sensors detect a slow-moving vehicle or stopped car ahead, the “F-CAM” system warns the truck driver. If the driver doesn’t brake, the system takes over [...]

Trucking Watchdog2019-01-28T00:35:25+00:00Braking and brake failure, Trucking Technology|

The very first self-driving semi truck to hit the road

The first self-driving semi truck in the U.S. is officially on the road in Nevada. Freightliner, the creator of the autonomous commercial truck, compares the Highway Pilot system to the autopilot on commercial airplanes. The semi-truck can be switched to autonomous autopilot on the highway, and it uses stereoscopic cameras and radar sensors. The truck can [...]

Trucking Watchdog2019-01-28T00:35:44+00:00In the News, Trucking Technology|

Failure to act leads to truck crash deaths: it’s time to fix underride guards

About half of the deaths from semi-truck accidents crashes involve an underride collision. When a passenger vehicle is pushed under a semi truck, the top of the car is crushed and the passengers are injured and often killed by striking the underneath parts of a trailer. Crash tests from IIHS show the need for new [...]

Trucking Watchdog2019-05-23T19:26:38+00:00Safety and Crash Prevention|

Slow Down

The Pacific Northwest is blanketed in snow which is expected to remain on the roadways for the next 36 hours. It is especially important to slow down as you drive on the roadways. Truck drivers need to pay particular attention to safety and defensive driving. Truck drivers need to slow down, leave enough room between [...]

kcoluccio2020-07-10T23:30:29+00:00Safety and Crash Prevention|

Keep a Look-out

The fall has arrived and soon we will be in winter. It is this time of year that greater care is needed when traveling on our roadways. Often, as I travel on Pacific Northwest freeways, I watch Trucks go speeding by me without regard to the weather conditions. Rain conditions require defensive driver practices. [...]

kcoluccio2020-07-10T23:26:30+00:00Safety and Crash Prevention, Truckers and Trucking Companies|

Proper Speed for Semi Trucks

A commercial semi truck driver must maintain a proper speed at all times. Determining a safe speed for a heavy vehicle depends on many critical factors. Proper speed factors for semi trucks: Traffic conditions; Road conditions and construction; Weather conditions, especially rain, snow or ice; Visibility that may be affected by weather and precipitation, [...]

kcoluccio2019-10-18T00:16:44+00:00Safety and Crash Prevention, Speeding|

Keep Your Children Safe

Although this particular entry does not focus specifically on Trucking Law and Trucking collisions, I thought it was important to share with you the New Child Car Seat Guidelines. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children younger than 3 years of age, according to reports. In additon, many young children are seriously injured [...]

kcoluccio2011-03-23T14:17:35+00:00Safety and Crash Prevention|