A lack of safe truck parking may lead to more truck crashes. Oregon State University researchers looked at truck parking as a public safety issue (PDF). They studied a 290-mile section of Highway 97, a major trucking route that runs along the eastern slope of the Cascades across the whole length of Oregon. Some truck companies use Highway 97 through Oregon [...]
Commercial truck drivers and motor carriers have stringent rules and regulations they must follow; because of the damage that can be caused by their errors, they are subject to greater scrutiny. In the many years I have handled trucking cases, I have seen many careless acts by professional drivers and motor carriers. But mistakes like this one are truly [...]
D+. That's the grade our national infrastructure was given by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this year. While our total infrastructure includes everything from aviation to ports to wastewater, it's the roads and bridges that truck drivers have to contend with every day. Why are roads, bridges in such bad shape? Quite simply, they're old. [...]
Sleep apnea, a disorder causing repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, affects at least one in 10 people. In serious cases, obstructive sleep apnea can cause someone to fall asleep with little to no warning. In the most serious cases, sleep apnea symptoms closely resemble narcolepsy. In 2016, after a spate of high-profile [...]
Most long-haul semi-truck drivers in the U.S. are not paid a salary. They are not paid by the hour. They are paid per mile. A majority of trucking companies pay drivers between $0.28 and $0.40 cents per mile. Fewer pay experienced drivers up to $0.45 cents per mile. Some jobs pay bonuses. But most of a [...]
A motor carrier in Yakima, Diamond Freight, has been tied to another serious truck crash* in Central Washington. Yakima trucking company involved in second fatal crash, via Yakima Herald The local news outlet reported that "The Washington State Patrol confirmed that both drivers worked for Diamond Freight Systems — which also goes by NW Freight Inc. — based [...]
Update: As of October 16, there has been 798 semi truck crashes* in Washington State. At the same time last year, there had been 661. Just in the last few weeks, there's been several major collisions that caused severe injuries—and kept thousands stuck in traffic for hours. June 9: Three semi trucks collided in Blaine, Washington, just south of [...]
Recently, I reviewed a Police Report where the truck driver admitted he only had 3 hours of sleep the night before he caused a serious crash.* For many of us, losing a couple hours of sleep at night just means we’re a little less productive the next day. When your job is driving—especially if you’re [...]
Last week, a big truck hauling 50,000 of carrots collided with a Nissan Maxima on a California freeway. The car wedged under the truck. The driver didn't stop, his semi-truck dragging a car down the road. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. But the resulting video, shot from another vehicle, is incredible. https://youtu.be/9jvycogHJhk What's wrong with this picture? It's [...]
Preliminary statistics for 2016 indicated that there was a 7-8% increase in fatalities in crashes involving trucks and buses. It’s easy to focus on the multitude of available safety systems for commercial truck fleets. But, there is much more to safe trucking than an electronic logging device and a crash mitigation system. The key element [...]
