Safety News Updates

Government, Safety

FMCSA to Propose Sleep Apnea Guidance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is “just about ready” to propose regulatory guidance that would urge medical examiners to require that some obese truck drivers be screened for obstructive sleep apnea before being allowed to drive, an agency official said.

March 25, 2013
Government, Safety

DOT, FMCSA on Alert for Fraudulent Tags

Law enforcement officers have recently observed several commercial drivers and vehicles with fraudulent licenses and license plates that purport to be issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

March 12, 2013
Government, Safety

FMCSA Names Five New Members to Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has appointed five representatives from motor carrier stakeholder groups to its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, FMCSA said Friday.

March 1, 2013
Government, Safety

Vehicle Deaths Rose 5% in 2012, National Safety Council Says

Motor vehicle deaths in the United States increased 5% last year, the first annual increase since 2005, the National Safety Council said in a preliminary analysis it released Tuesday.

February 19, 2013
Government, Safety

FMCSA Launches Bus Safety Crackdown

In the wake of two West Coast bus crashes that each killed multiple passengers within weeks of each other, federal officials have launched a crackdown on unsafe bus operations, in which officers and auditors will investigate high-risk motorcoach companies.

February 15, 2013
Safety

Automobile Drivers Often at Fault in Truck-Involved Crashes, ATA Says

The majority of serious crashes involving cars and heavy trucks are caused by driver factors such as speeding or failure to stay in lane by the automobile drivers, according to a report released by American Trucking Associations.

February 12, 2013
Safety

Truck Makers Work to Improve Interior Safety as NHTSA Reports Rise in Occupant Deaths

In the wake of a federal safety report that showed a significant rise in truck-occupant fatalities, heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers said that they have been working on ways to improve the safety of their offerings.

February 11, 2013
Safety

Witness Questions Police Crash Reports in Assigning Blame for Truck Accidents

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The use of police accident reports as the sole basis to assign fault in truck-involved crashes is not always a reliable method, an accident reconstruction expert told a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration advisory panel last week.

February 11, 2013
Government, Safety

House Subcommittee Oversight Plan Includes CSA, Hours of Service

A House subcommittee on highways has targeted some of the top issues for the trucking industry in its oversight plan for the next two years, including the hours-of-service rule for truck drivers and the Compliance, Safety, Accountability ratings program.

February 5, 2013
Safety

Court Asked to Overturn CSA by Group of Shippers, Fleets

A group of shippers, brokers and small motor carriers told a federal court that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new carrier safety ratings are “confusing, ever-changing, mercurial and capricious in their effects on carriers.”

January 14, 2013