Truck crashes

DC appeals court denies driver hours-of-service challenge

Electronic logging device in truck cab

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration successfully defended changes to the trucking hours-of-service (HOS) regulations enacted two years ago against a challenge from safety groups and the Teamsters union alleging the changes increase crash risks and make the roads less safe.

In a petition filed in December last year, the union and the three safety groups — Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), Parents Against Tired Truckers, and Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways —...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dc-appeals-court-denies-driver-hours-of-service-challenge

FMCSA’s speed limiters: Unsafe at any speed?

Trucks and cars on interstate.

Plans by federal regulators to issue a proposed rule requiring speed limiters on truck engines is getting pushback by a significant portion of the trucking sector.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s April notice seeking comment on the plan, which the agency aims to issue as a proposed rule for public comment in 2023, generated more than 15,000 responses. Most came from independent owner-operators and small trucking companies, which account for the majority of FMCSA’s regulated...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsas-speed-limiters-unsafe-at-any-speed

How much did Biden administration give states to reduce truck crashes?

Truck involved in crash being towed.

The Biden administration recently announced a record $463.5 million allocated to states and U.S. territories in 2022 for Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grants administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to help prevent truck crashes.

The funding level is a 52% increase from 2021 — and comes at a time when truck crashes are on the rise.

“FMCSA’s core mission is safety, and our work supports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s comprehensive National Roadway...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-much-did-biden-administration-give-states-to-reduce-truck-crashes

Waymo tops NHTSA’s list for autonomous vehicle crashes

Waymo Via truck

Self-driving ride-hailing and autonomous trucking startup Waymo reported the most automated driving system (ADS) crashes over roughly the past year, according to a government report released on Wednesday aimed at creating more transparency into autonomous vehicle safety trends.

The “first-of-its-kind” data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed 130 crashes in vehicles equipped with ADS technology reported by manufacturers and operators between June 29, 2021, when NHTSA...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/waymo-tops-nhtsas-list-of-autonomous-vehicle-crashes

You’ve got to be yolking: Truck hauling 250,000 eggs crashes in Dallas

Truck carrying 30,000 pounds of eggs crashes in Dallas.

Commuters in Dallas were scrambling to avoid a messy highway accident after a tractor-trailer carrying 30,000 pounds of eggs crashed early Monday morning.

The 18-wheeler crashed in one of the westbound lanes on Interstate 30 near the Interstate 45 interchange at approximately 3:50 a.m. CT, according to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. 

All westbound lanes were closed for several hours to allow cleanup crews to clear the area of broken egg shells and yolks.

According to reports, numerous...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/youve-got-to-be-yolking-truck-hauling-250000-eggs-crashes-in-dallas

Buttigieg’s DOT rejects hours-of-service court challenge claims

The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration has rejected assertions that hours-of-service revisions made in September 2020 will lead to more crashes despite claims made by safety advocates and labor.

Responding to a petition filed by the groups in December with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, FMCSA and the U.S. Department of Transportation argued that the petitioners’ anti-safety claims lack standing and should be rejected.

“Even if petitioners had established...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/buttigiegs-dot-rejects-hours-of-service-challenge

Reputation management with Bluewire — Taking the Hire Road

On this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road, DriverReach founder and CEO Jeremy Reymer welcomed Steve Bryan, CEO of Bluewire LLC. The two discussed the ever-rising threat nuclear verdicts pose to the industry and how to defend against them.

Bluewire builds AI-powered software for trucking companies to alert them of exposure points that could be used against them. Through data analysis, motor carriers can take action to mitigate vulnerabilities to protect their reputation.

Bluewire aims to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/reputation-management-with-bluewire-taking-the-hire-road

FMCSA sees potential for human-autonomous team driver regulations

Federal regulators are anticipating the day when hours-of-service rules may have to be changed to accommodate automated driving systems.

Those changes could emerge in situations where half the team in a long-haul driving operation is not human, according to Jeff Loftus, who heads the technology division in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Office of Analysis, Research and Technology.

“We’re trying to anticipate new business models, where there could be instances with emerging...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-sees-potential-for-human-autonomous-team-driver-regulations

Daimler, Navistar, Volvo ordered to report autonomous truck crashes

Federal regulators have ordered manufacturers and operators of trucks equipped with Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) or Levels 3-5 automated driving systems (ADS) to report crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Tuesday that it was exercising its authority through a standing general order issued to 108 companies, which also includes passenger vehicle manufacturers, “to collect information necessary for the agency to play its role in keeping...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/daimler-navistar-volvo-ordered-to-report-autonomous-vehicle-crashes

+ More