› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
Professional truck drivers from all corners of the country are gathering in Orlando, Florida, this week for the annual National Truck Driving Championship, a 5-day event sponsored by the American Trucking Associations as a way to make safe driving a goal and a source of pride for thousands of drivers.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has voiced strong objections to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed Hours of Service (HOS) rule changes, saying that the new rules are overly complex and could actually backfire, reducing commercial motor vehicle safety.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators have awarded the Washington State Patrol’s Commercial Vehicle Division with the 2010 Commercial Vehicle Safety Award in recognition of its efforts to improve commercial vehicle safety on the state’s roads and highways.
When you’re behind the wheel, it’s not difficult to become distracted, especially on long, lonely hauls. The radio, cigarette lighter, food, drink, and an incoming call are all things that vie for your attention and beckon you to break the routine when you’re behind the wheel. But by far the most dangerous road distraction is cell phone text messaging – a distraction that kills 6,000 people every year and injures half a million more. Texting while driving is so lethal that researchers throughout the country have been conducting tests to determine why this distraction is many times riskier than drunk driving.
Between now and the full implementation of its Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 safety rating system, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will conduct outreach efforts to inform carriers and drivers of the upcoming changes, and to encourage everyone to become actively involved.
Rose McMurray, Chief Safety Officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, addressed the National Association of Small Trucking Companies this month in an effort to clarify the federal government’s intentions and goals set forth by its Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 program.
While truck drivers historically have worried about complying with federal Hours of Service (HOS) rules that restrict how many hours they can drive before resting, now some truckers are finding themselves in the opposite predicament: too much time between hauls, thanks to the economic slump. Some drivers are taking that extra free time and putting it to good use in a way that would make grandma proud (or possibly concerned): quilting and knitting.
