Large truck fatalities spiked in 2012, according to NHTSA

Large truck fatalities spiked in 2012, according to NHTSA

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released the 2012 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data and the numbers don’t bode well for trucking safety. Large-truck occupant fatalities increased for the third consecutive year (8.9 percent over 2011) and overall highway deaths increased to 33,561 in 2012, which is…

ATA files suit against NY State Thruway over use of toll revenues

ATA files suit against NY State Thruway over use of toll revenues

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has filed a lawsuit challenging the New York State Thruway Authority’s (NYSTA) diversion of millions of dollars of toll revenues every year to maintain the New York Canal System. “During these times of under funding highway infrastructure, we cannot afford to have tolling authorities take the money users pay for…

Feds want to make it easier for military drivers to make transition

Feds want to make it easier for military drivers to make transition

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Making the transition from military truck driver to the commercial ranks will be a bit easier if recommendations from the U.S. DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are adopted. FMCSA’s recommendations are the result of a recently-released study mandated in the MAP-21 legislation that analyzed training, testing and licensing similarities and…

Trucking industry making slight shift to natural gas

Trucking industry making slight shift to natural gas

Some of the largest trucking fleets in the United States are starting to make the shift from diesel fuel to natural gas. Companies such as Lowe’s, Proctor & Gamble, United Parcel Service and FedEx are accelerating a shift to natural gas fueled trucks, betting that higher prices for diesel over natural gas will continue. According…

Legislators take another crack at truck driver drug testing bill

Legislators take another crack at truck driver drug testing bill

Arkansas Senators Mark Pryor (D-Ark) and John Boozman (R-Ark), along with Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark) are taking another run at new legislation that would enable trucking firms to conduct random drug tests on truck drivers’ hair, a measure they say would make America’s highways safer. “Advanced uniform drug testing requirements for trucking companies will help…

NTSB slams FMCSA over motor carrier oversight

NTSB slams FMCSA over motor carrier oversight

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last week called for audits of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) stewardship of the U.S. motor carrier industry. At the root of NTSB’s scathing report are four crashes that resulted in 25 deaths and 83 injuries. In each accident, investigators identified safety deficiencies and noted red flags…

Trucking association at odds with GOP

Trucking association at odds with GOP

The recent stalemate in Washington over the Affordable Care Act has put the nation’s largest trucking association at odds with Tea Party elements of the Republican Party. Bill Graves, chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), told attendees at the organization’s recent annual meeting in Orlando that, “if I was your political broker,…

Professional Drivers: Keeping America Safe

According to the United States Department of Labor, workers in the transportation industry experience more on-the-job fatalities than workers of any other occupation, accounting for 12% of all work related deaths. However, unlike most occupations, the dangers of truck driving are not confined to the workplace. For instance, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports…