News of a jury award in a wrongful death lawsuit in Santa Fe, NM, that awarded the family of a crash victim $58.5 million dollars comes as no surprise to me. In essence the jury said that the driver of a tanker truck that made a left turn in the path of the victim’s oncoming vehicle did not have adequate training. The Jury also decided that the bulk of the responsibility for the crash lied with the management company that contracted with the trucking company.... Read More

The driver shortage is one of the most compelling issues facing fleet managers and company owners. Recently the ATA predicted that over the next decade we will need close to 100,000 new truck drivers a year to replace those who are retiring or leaving the industry. ... Read More

A recently released ATA paper has led to headlines reporting that in truck/car crashes the car driver made a critical error about 75% of the time. This paper was part of the ATA's push to get FMCSA to begin assigning fault to crash reports that are used to calculate a motor carrier's CSA score. Although FMCSA is currently studying the matter, they've cooled on the idea since initially endorsing it. The most commonly cited reason is a belief that police generated crash reports may not be reliable enough.... Read More

Our whole trucking legal system is out of control. About two years ago a semi driver in California parked in an approved space near an intersection. The intersection had two way stop signs. A pickup truck ran one stop sign causing a motorcycle to hit the pickup truck. The lawyer for the cyclist claimed the parked semi-truck was blocking the view of the approach of his client’s vantage point. The California Court of Appeals ruled that because the semi was parked where it was parked and in fact did reduce the amount of visibility for the biker the driver and the carrier were both 5% liable.... Read More

Does your company have a policy that prohibits dispatchers from assigning drivers a load that cannot be completed without speeding? Take a look at the SMC on the FMCSA website for the Unsafe Driving BASIC and make sure all necessary processes, management, and controls are in place to prevent and address unsafe driving practices. ... Read More

In America our federal government works to implement laws that regulate our states and our people. Our Congress and Senate work to pass these laws to assure that all Americans are treated equally, and in accordance to our Bill of Rights.

But what happened when our Federal bodies passed the bill that contained CSA? According to the FMCSA when Congress passed the Transportation Bill that created CSA it gave the FMCSA the power to create rules to govern the transportation industry. These rules would not be subject to our judicial system or our nations Constitution or Bill of Rights.... Read More

There isn't a safety director out there who isn't constantly searching for ways to control the outcome of safety related events. It all starts with driver screening and selection. There's a lot of science that goes into that process, but to some degree, it's also a gut feeling process as well. Once the driver is hired and on the road, the focus shifts. Having an effect on what happens out where the rubber meets the road may be difficult and sometimes even elusive, but it's very important to a motor carrier.... Read More

Tom Kretsinger Jr. is the President of American Central Transport, Inc. A very experienced manager in today’s trucking world. Recently he wrote on www.bigtrucktv.com/tomkretsinger. In his blog Tom said that besides probably tax increases in 2013, “Other exactions will likely come in the form of fees, tolls and government enforcement actions. The EEOC has been active in pursuing class actions against business to collect money. The DOL has been equally active.... Read More

Enforcement today has a downside, and that is some officers take the written word and fail to apply common sense. Not all officers mind you, but enough to make today’s law enforcement different than in years past.

On December 3rd, FMCSA announced that changes to the CSA program applying to a motor carriers’ Safety Measurement System (SMS) scores.

After a public comment period that began in March 2012 and input from 19,000 motor carriers and 2,900 law enforcement personnel, FMCSA has implemented 11 “enhancements” to a motor carriers’ monthly SMS scores. ... Read More