The libertarian Reason Foundation think tank is promoting, among other things, privately funded toll roads and toll lanes for trucking: Buoyed by the advent of real-time inventories and Internet commerce, truck traffic grew by over 45 percent in the last decade and is projected to grow another 39 percent in the next 10 years. Trucks…
Continue reading ›Reuters reports today that global positioning system, or GPS, technology is enabling larger trucking companies to grow and take market share from small companies. Such technology enables trucking companies to know where all their trucks and trailers are at any moment, providing shippers with complete supply chain visibility. The article predicts this trend will continue…
Continue reading ›An experimental Driver Fatigue Monitor may help truck drivers from dozing off behind the wheel. The system uses infrared light to determine when drivers are too tired to be driving. It measures how “heavy” eyes are becoming by monitoring the eyelids. If the eyes are closed for three or four seconds several times in a…
Continue reading ›A DriveCam camera mounted inside a passenger bus captured a horrifying crash when a tractor trailer lost control, ran over a car, and collided with the median barrier and the bus on the Long Island Expressway in New York. The camera records both the driver and the driver’s view when sensors detect erratic driving behavior.…
Continue reading ›Washington, DC, 2/9/06. The National Transportation Safety Board adopted a final report of a runaway truck accident in Pennsylvania that has shown the consequences of improper maintenance on automatic slack adjusters for air brake systems. The board issued 11 safety recommendations aimed at improving training for drivers and mechanics that work with air brakes. These…
Continue reading ›Washington, 12/2/05. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations governing minimum standards for entry-level truck driver training are inadequate based on the record developed during the rulemaking process, a federal appeals court ruled today. The minimum requirements adopted last May by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration involve only classroom education and in only four…
Continue reading ›Chattanooga-based U.S. Express has announced that it is now equipping its trucks with “smart cruise.” According to an article in The Chattanoogan, this technology automatically keeps other drivers at a safe distance because it is able to detect vehicles in front of the truck. When a truck driver comes too close to a car, it…
Continue reading ›A developer of Global Positioning System (GPS) software has developed a time-tracking system that would let truckers use a cell phone to log their Hours of Service. However, the FMCSA requires tracking systems for HOS purposes to be connected to the truck’s engine. Xora, a Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of wireless technology software, has requested…
Continue reading ›Corporate Counsel has an article about hte use of “black box” electronic data recorders tracking truckers’ driving hours, speed, etc., and the resistance of truckers to having an “electronic spy” in the truck cab. Thanks to John Day for pointing it out. The Shigley Law Firm represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases…
Continue reading ›A lawyer cannot effectively investigate and conduct discovery in a trucking accident case without basic understanding of current technology. When such advanced systems are utilized, electronic operation records are created which may be helpful to either the plaintiff or defense in the event of a crash. Counsel for both sides in truck wreck litigation must…
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