On October 11, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released a 2022 update to its Predicting Truck Crash Involvement study, derived from over 580,000 individual truck driver records. This update confirms ATRI’s long-established finding that there is a strong correlation between unsafe driving practices like failing to use turn signals, violating the right-of-way, and making unpredictable lane changes and subsequent crashes. As a truck accident law firm in dealing with these matters, let’s take a closer look at this report. Read More →

An important two-lane freight corridor, U.S. 83 serves about 5,000 commercial trucks every day and is a favored route for agricultural supplies.

Around US 83 is where over 40% of the state’s agricultural exports are generated. Kansas, which ranks sixth in the nation for its agricultural sector after Illinois, derived $21 billion in revenue directly from agricultural operations. (California is the highest state, at $51 billion, followed by Texas, Iowa, and Nebraska.) Read More →

I-70 (Interstate 70) is Missouri’s most vital transportation corridor, connecting the state’s two key cities and transporting more rural daily traffic than any other road. The 260 miles of I-70 across Missouri have been a driver of economic development and prosperity, being one of the busiest and most important routes for commercial operators and commuters in the region.

How unsafe is Interstate 70? 

The Missouri part of I-70 is around 250 miles long and runs from Kansas City to St. Louis, covering the whole state. These two cities account for the majority of accidents and fatalities on the Missouri I-70. 

I-70 is known across the country for being one of the most dangerous freeways in the U.S., with 112 fatalities in 2014. It is regularly rated as one of the most dangerous highways for commercial and private vehicles in the states it passes through.  Read More →

In order to better safeguard drivers and passengers in light vehicles in case of a rear underride crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded a rule that brings two truck standards for rear underride guards up to date.

When the frontside of a car collides with the back of a huge trailer or semi, and slides under the vehicle, this is called a rear underride crash. These are frequently fatal.

The NHTSA posted a final rule updating two Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for rear underride guards in July, almost seven years after the initial proposal was made. This effectively brings the U.S. standard up to par with the current Transport Canada standard, which many American motor carriers and trailer manufacturers have already attained. Read More →

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union and safety advocacy groups challenged the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s successful defense of changes to the trucking hours-of-service (HOS) regulations implemented two years ago, claiming the changes increased accident risks and made the roadways less safe.

The union and three advocacy groups – Parents Against Tired Truckers, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety – argued in a petition filed in December last year that FMCSA’s final rule incorporating four HOS changes issued in May 2020 was “arbitrary and capricious” because it failed to address safety and consequences on driver’s health. The short-haul exemption and the requirement for the 30-minute rest break were the two of the four modifications on which the groups had mainly centered on. Read More →

It’s critical for large truck drivers to stay alert on the road, as large trucks are more challenging to maneuver, take longer to stop, and could cause life-threatening injuries in an accident. To remain in top driving form, truckers must get adequate restful sleep. But what happens when a truck driver has a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea?

Though there’s no law disqualifying truck drivers who have sleep apnea, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) examines whether a driver is medically qualified to operate a large vehicle. Sleep apnea may affect a truck driver’s qualification. Read More →

Brakes are an essential safety component on large trucks,made even more important because of their enormous size. Drivers, pedestrians, and other road users are seriously at risk when a truck fails to stop on time. 

When a truck’s brakes malfunction, the driver may lose control of the vehicle and collide with other vehicles. The effects can be disastrous. Property damage and serious or even deadly injuries are also possible outcomes of an accident.  Read More →

The U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the initial round of data it has gathered through its Standing General Order issued last year. The initial associated reports summing up this information were also released as part of the Department of Transportation’s efforts to improve traffic safety and promote technological advancement. 

The report came as analysts reported that 42,915 persons lost their lives in vehicle accidents in 2021, a rise of 10.5% from the year before.  Read More →

From the perspective of a carrier, fleet in-cab cameras or dash cams have numerous advantages, including enhanced safety through improved driver instruction, protection against legal claims, and potential insurance savings. However, drivers may be apprehensive of fleet dash cams, which they perceive as invading their privacy.

Cameras can protect drivers as well. In some cases drivers may be blamed for accidents despite evidence to the contrary. Video evidence from in-cab cameras can be critical to exoneration. Read More →

Although it is commonly known that the trucking industry is now experiencing a workforce deficit, did you realize that it is also experiencing another kind of scarcity that is equally concerning?

No place to park

The trucking industry is presently experiencing a significant shortage in parking. There are just not enough parking lots or pull-off spots on the roadways to handle the current volume of trucks in the country.

Despite ongoing anxiety, such as the terrible March 2009 murder of one tired and sleeping Jason Rivenburg at an abandoned gas station, truck drivers continue to seek safe truck parking areas. And, given that the trucking business is expected to develop dramatically over the next decade or two, the problem will only worsen. Read More →