Articles Posted in Trucking industry

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NOTE TO TRUCK DRIVERS:
Our law practice focuses on representation of people who are seriously injured, and families of those killed, in crashes with large commercial vehicles. While those are often truck drivers, we do not handle truckers’ employment law matters. For legal advice on issues with your employer, see Truckers Justice Center. 

 

As a trucking accident personal injury and wrongful death lawyer based in Atlanta, I get a chance to see the trucking safety issues from the point of view of both innocent folks who are run over by tractor trailers and truck drivers who are themselves put at risk by companies that care too little about safety.

A blogging truck driver at Go By Truck News wrote this week that “A rogue motor carrier is a truck driver’s worst nightmare.”

He wrote that last year, D.A. Landis Trucking, Inc. was charged with conspiracy for ordering drivers to falsify their daily logbooks, maintain two sets of logs, falsely certify accuracy of the lying logs, had dispatchers also knowingly dispatched drivers on trips that were truck accidentto exceed hours-of-service requirements.

That is old news to those of us who have been digging through truck drivers’ logs and trip documents and both deposing and interviewing truck drivers.

He also gathered these tweets from tired truck drivers:

– “My dispatcher goes retarded when I tried to tell them I have only 1 hr left to drive.”

– “I have heard this from many dispatchers before. Come on we need you for one more.”

– “When it comes to driving we have 65mph trks n 100mph dispatchers with 26 hrs in a day!”

– “Dispatch was kind enough to plan my first load for 4am central time. My paperwork is invalid and dispatch won’t be in for another 3 hrs.”

Go By Truck News urges truck drivers to check the safety records of any company they consider working for, and to make sure they know the rules, including these:

FMCSR 392.6 Schedules to conform with speed limits. “No motor carrier shall require a run nor permit nor require the operation of any commercial motor vehicle between points in such period of time as would necessitate the commercial vehicle being operated at speed greater than those prescribed by the jurisdictions in or through which the commercial motor vehicle is being operated.”

FMCSR 390.13 Aiding or abetting violations. “No person shall aid, abet, encourage, or require a motor carrier or its employees to violate the rules of this chapter.”

FMCSR 392.3 Ill or fatigued operator. “No driver shall operate a commercial motor vehicle, and a motor carrier shall not require or permit a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle, while the driver’s ability or alertness is so impaired, so likely to become impaired, through fatigue, illness, or any other cause, as to make it unsafe for him/her to begin or continue to operate the commercial motor vehicle.” (This regulation was mentioned in my prior article and worth repeating again here).

He is spot on in stating that, “A good safety director will educate a driver about these regulations, rewarding and not penalizing a driver for declining to take a load if they are too fatigued. A good company with a pattern of safe behavior will give a trucker an opportunity to develop a disciplined sleep routine.”

He urges that, “it’s often the employer / load planner / dispatcher pushing the trucker beyond their limits. However, all truckers should take a stand with the Trucker Mike’s ‘Mantra’ – ‘I will NEVER let anyone ‘push’ me, instead I’ll be fired for being SAFE if need be!'”

This afternoon, my friend Steve Gursten in Michigan forwarded this plea he received from a truck driver who wants to drive safely but works for a rogue trucking company that won’t allow him to follow the law:

The company that I drive for has me doing illegal runs. I feel if I don’t do them my miles will be cut or they will find a way to get rid of me. I need to care for my family. I have been too many companies and they are all the same. The one I’m with now is the worst. I’m looking for other employment and coping the best I can. Is there anyone I can talk to like a whistle blower organization? Or maybe a letter too the sec of transportation? Companies, dispatchers, shippers and receivers need to be held accountable. Until we have better legislation in place to address this, us truckers will always be at the bottom of the hill. And of course we know which direction s##t rolls.

Wow!

That is right in line with my impression over the years that most truck drivers are just ordinary good guys working hard to make a living, but are too often pushed by employers, motor carriers, shippers, brokers, etc., to make illegal runs on impossible schedules, so that they are often pushed beyond the limits of human endurance.

That is why I generally try to handle these cases by digging for a root cause analysis in the corporate safety management system — or lack thereof.

I suggested referring this guy to Truckers Justice Center in Minnesota, operated by a lawyer who represents whistle blowing truck drivers nationwide
If your or a family member were run over by a tractor trailer, or if you are a truck driver badly injured in the line of duty, I would be glad to talk with you with no obligation.
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As a trucking trial attorney in Atlanta, I represent both people in other vehicles who are injured in wrecks with trucks and truck drivers who are injured in collisions. Truck driving is among the most dangerous occupations. I recognize that most truck drivers are safety conscious and hard working folks who work incredibly long hours to support their families. When those who are not safety conscious or are pushed by their employers to break rules in order to work injure other people, the focus is usually on the corporate employer whose management practices are the root cause of the tragedy. And when hard working truck drivers are hurt or killed due to the negligence of others, I am proud to represent them.

American Trucking Associations asked drivers to reflect and appreciate the 3.1 million professional truck drivers last week for the 25th annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. The week was dedicated to showing appreciation to the millions of truck drivers that deliver America’s freight safely and securely every day.

“For 52 weeks a year, America’s professional truck drivers make sure that our most essential items – food, fuel, medicine, clothing,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves, “are delivered and lately they are doing so more safely and efficiently than ever before despite increasingly congested highways and ever more demanding logistics schedules. Their commitment is second-to-none and that’s why we’re asking that Americans take a few minutes to appreciate the effort these professionals put in every day.”

During the 25th anniversary of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, state affiliates and America’s Road Team Captains made sure the event would be special by holding events across the nation. Celebrations last week were hosted by motor carriers, shippers, and other trucking related industries.

Some of the ways in which trucking industries showed their appreciation included million-mile and safety awards, cash bonuses or gifts, an extra paid day off, a cup of coffee or windshield cleaning at truck stops, goodie bags with fresh fruit and water, free health checks, and celebration meals. There were many events that lasted all week so that every driver could experience some sort of gratitude as they cycled through shifts.

The trucking industry continues to be a large part of America’s economy. Below are a few statistics that shows just how important the money brought in by the trucking industry really helps the economy. For instance, did you know the trucking sector dominates the commercial transportation industry by 83.7%?

• The trucking industry is expected to grow by 21% over the next 10 years
• The trucking industry collects $650 billion in annual revenue, which is 5% of America’s GDP
• The top 5 tractor-trailer registrations are in Florida, Texas, California, Alabama and Georgia

• There are 761,850 registered tractor-trailer drivers and 49,920 registered light truck and delivery drivers
• The annual expenditure in driver earnings equals to $30,660,552,900
• The value of shipped goods equals $139,463,000,000 per year, $382,090,411 per day, and $4,422 per second
• 3,000,000 class 8 trucks (18 wheelers) are registered in the US
• There are 54,000,000 individual truck tires on the road, equaling 5,400,000,000 pounds of rubber
• Truckers cover 93,512,000,000 highway miles each year, 256,197,260 per day, and 2,965 per second, equaling 3,755,351 times around earth Continue reading →

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Driver fatigue is a major cause of truck crashes among drivers of commercial tractor trailers, semis and big rigs. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations mandate that truck drivers can drive only 11 hours out of a 14 hour work day, followed by a 10 hour rest break. There are also restrictions on weekly totals. Handling injury and death cases arising from truck accidents in Georgia, I often seen cases where drivers were too fatigued to drive safely.

But most of us have personal experience to know that a driver can be dangerously sleepy in far less than 11 hours of driving.

Australian researchers have confirmed what we intuitively know. Caffeine can help maintain driver alertness. But caffeine alone is not enough, and naps can help too. In “Use of caffeinated substances and risk of crashes in long distance drivers of commercial vehicles: case-control study,” published at BMJ 2013; 346 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f1140 ( 19 March 2013), Lisa N Sharwood and her collaborators reported on their study.

Their bottom line:

– Caffeine helps, but that alone is not enough.

– Breaks help, whether used for naps, exercise or drinking coffee.

All this seems like common sense, but it bears repeating. One problem in the trucking industry is that trucking companies and shippers sometimes insist on driving the maximum hours allowed (or longer), so that no credit is given for drivers who take breaks to help maintain alertness within those hours.

However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations include not just the hours of service rules but also a more general restriction against operating a commercial vehicle when too fatigued or ill to safely do so.
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NOTE TO TRUCK DRIVERS:
Our law practice focuses on representation of people who are seriously injured, and families of those killed, in crashes with large commercial vehicles. While those are often truck drivers, we do not handle truckers’ employment law matters. For legal advice on issues with your employer, see Truckers Justice Center. 

When we share the road with semi tractor trailer drivers who pilot 80,000 pound big rigs on highways across the country, we hope they are well-qualified and safety conscious. Most are but some are not.

Among the many things I examine as a trucking accident litigation trial attorney in Georgia are the qualifications, experience and background of the truck driver.

Commercial truck and bus drivers are required to have knowledge of and comply with all government trucking safety regulations and company policies. Motor carriers operating truck and bus lines are required to make sure drivers are adequately trained and monitor drivers’ performance.

Entry level truck drivers must obtain a Commercial Driver’s License, usually referred to as a CDL. That requires training in driver qualifications, hours of service, safe operations and whistle blower protection. The CDL manuals for all states in the US are materially identical. Drivers are required to know and understand pertinent provisions of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, so the CDL manual explains the regs in simpler, graphic terms.

Drivers of specialized commercial vehicles need additional training specific to those types of vehicles. Trade organizations and safety materials publishing companies produce training videos and manuals for a wide variety of specialized commercial vehicles such as concrete mixer trucks, crane trucks, etc.

These CDL manuals and specialized training materials are extremely useful in cross examining truck drivers after they crash.

In applying for a truck driving job, a truck driver must provide his or her CDL, employment history, driving records, record of convictions and violations, medical history, drug and alcohol history, and physical exam.

Trucking companies are required to conduct a road test of the driver, testing knowledge, skills, experience and training, using the same type vehicle the driver is expected to operate. The test must be conducted by an employee who is qualified to do so.

When representing the victims of a catastrophic semi tractor trailer crash, all this fair game for thorough and sifting examination. Any lawyer who thinks a commercial truck crash is just a bigger car wreck will be clueless and unprepared, vastly reducing the prospects for success in representing his client. That is why our years of experience in trucking litigation matters.

Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations; Truck Accident Litigation (3d edition)

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Large truck operations are governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and largely identical state trucking safety rules. Sometimes people are surprised that these safety rules no not apply to tractor trailers only. Under 49 CFR 390.5, a commercial motor vehicle is defined to include any self-propelled or towed motor vehicle used on a highway in interstate commerce to transport passengers or property when the vehicle –

a. Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight 10,001 pounds or more, whichever is greater; or
b. Is designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; or
c. Is designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver, and is not used to transport passengers for compensation; or
d. Is used in transporting material found by the Secretary of Transportation to be hazardous.
Every state has adopted most portions of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for intrastate transportation.
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When a loved one is killed or catastrophically injured in a collision with a tractor trailer, there may be a temptation to wait for a “decent interval” before hiring a lawyer who specializes in commercial trucking trial practice. The trucking company’s insurer may encourage that reluctance by saying some soothing things to lull you into inaction.

But it is important to know that the trucking company and its insurance company get a rapid response team to the crash scene before the vehicles are moved. While the victims are in an ambulance or in the emergency room, the trucking company has its investigators massaging evidence and trying to influence the police report.

Some electronic data from tractor trailers may be lost or destroyed within a few days if there is not quick action to assure that it is preserved. Every minute of delay leads to loss of crucial evidence.

Therefore, it is vitally important for the victim’s family to move quickly after a catastrophic truck crash to hire a lawyer who specializes in trucking cases and who can deploy his or her own rapid response team. While responses may be scaled to the seriousness of the case, the ultimate rapid response may include:

• a highly qualified accident reconstruction expert with solid experience in reconstructing crashes involving large commercial vehicles, not just car wreck.

• a trucking safety expert qualified to assess violations of trucking safety rules;

• a conspicuity expert qualified to assess visibility of vehicles in the conditions existing at the time of the crash;

• a forensic evidence photographer qualified to preserve the actual appearance of the vehicles and conditions under existing lighting conditions;

• a human factors expert who can assess perception and reaction under the conditions on
the roadway;

• a forensic computer expert qualified to obtain and interpret the wide array of event data recorders and computers on large commercial trucks.

In a catastrophic truck wreck it is a mistake to rely solely upon the police report, even when reasonably well qualified police accident reconstructionist are involved.
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Fatalities in large truck accidents increased 8.7% in 2010, according to a report released last week by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

NHTSA said in its annual report that 3,675 people died in trucking related accidents in 2010, an increase of 295 over the 3,380 fatalities in 2009. The number injured in trucking accidents increased 12% from 17,000 to 19,000. (Those number are surely rounded off.)

NHTSA did not clearly identify a cause, but increased truck traffic due to gradual economic recovery is likely a major factor.
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Plans for truck-only lanes on metro Atlanta expressways are among the aspirations cut from the Atlanta Regional Commission’s transportation long-range plans released this week.

The ailing economy and strapped government budgets led the ARC to ax or defer beyond my likely lifetime:

– optional toll lanes alongside I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties
– a component that would carry only tractor trailer trucks
– widening South Cobb Drive from Cobb Parkway to Atlanta Road, and from Atlanta Road to Bolton Road
– widening University Ave. from Metropolitan Parkway to the Downtown Connector
– new interchange at I-675 and and Cedar Grove Road
– mass transit line across northern I-285 from Cumberland to Perimeter Center Continue reading →

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In a major crossroads of interstate truck traffic, we in metro Atlanta frequently see tractor trailers from the nation’s largest trucking companies on our roads. Wherever they travel in the United States, they are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

Here are the top 100 public trucking carriers in the US in 2010, the largest of which is UPS, based right here in metro Atlanta:

UPS Inc.
FedEx Corp.
DHL USA YRC Worldwide Inc.
Ryder System Con-way Inc.
Penske Truck Leasing Co.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Schneider National Inc.
Swift Transportation Landstar System Sirva Inc.
Werner Enterprises TransForce Inc.
UniGroup Inc.
Arkansas Best Corp.
U.S. Xpress Enterprises Estes Express Lines Purolator Courier Ltd.
Old Dominion Freight Line Greatwide Logistics Services C.R. England Inc.
Crete Carrier Corp.
Saia Inc.
Prime Inc.
NFI Industries Averitt Express Atlas World Group Southeastern Freight Lines Ruan Transportation Management Systems Lynden Inc.
CRST International Kenan Advantage Group Knight Transportation Vitran Corp.
Quality Distribution Inc.
Covenant Transportation Group Anderson Trucking Service Marten Transport Trimac Group Universal Truckload Services Inc.
Celadon Group Stevens Transport Dart Transit Co.
Interstate Distributor Co.
Heartland Express Roadrunner Transportation Systems TransX Group Western Express Shevell Group AAA Cooper Transportation Forward Air Corp.
Comcar Industries USA Truck RoadLink Frozen Food Express Industries Canada Cartage System Contrans Group Mullen Group Central Refrigerated Service Inc.
Dynamex Inc.
P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc.
Challenger Group Gordon Trucking Inc.
Mercer Transportation 3PD Inc.
TransAm Trucking Graebel Cos.
KLLM Transport Services Cardinal Logistics Management The Suddath Cos.
Pitt Ohio Express Super Service Holdings (formerly Gainey Corp.)
Mesilla Valley Transportation Specialized Transportation Inc.
Calyx Transportation Group Roehl Transport Koch Companies Inc.
Bridge Terminal Transport Inc.
Epes Carriers Inc.
Dayton Freight Lines Inc.
Central Freight Lines Bennett International Group Duie Pyle Cos.
Transport America Cowan Systems United Road Services Navajo Express Maverick USA Milan Express Co.
Superior Bulk Logistics A&R Logistics Consolidated Fastfrate Evans Network of Cos.
Velocity Express U.S. 1 Industries Paschall Truck Lines Groendyke Transport Arpin Group Jack Cooper Transport Co Continue reading →

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Atlanta has always been a transportation hub from its founding as a railroad town in the 1840s. At the crossroads of I-75, I-85 and I-20, Atlanta is a center of interstate trucking activity as well. On our highways we see trucks from most of the largest trucking companies in the US. Fortunately, most operate pretty safely most of the time, but unfortunately some do not.

Private carriers transport their own products, as opposed to public carriers that haul for others. While the general public may not think of these as “trucking companies” but their truck fleets are regulated by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as motor carriers hauling for other companies.

Here are the top 100 private trucking carriers, as listed by Transport Topics.

1. PepsiCo Inc.
2. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.
3. Sysco Corp.
4. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
5. U.S. Foodservice 6. Tyson Foods Inc.
7. Halliburton Co.
8. Dean Foods Co.
9. Dr Pepper Snapple Group 10. Baker Hughes Inc.
11. McLane Co.
12. Performance Food Group 13. Reyes Holdings 14. Schlumberger Limited 15. Agrium Inc.
16. Key Energy Services 17. Airgas Inc.
18. Oldcastle Inc.
19. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated 20. Supervalu Inc.
21. Safeway Inc.
22. Gordon Food Service 23. Hostess Brands Inc.
24. United Rentals Inc.
25. MDU Resources Group 26. International Paper Co.
27. CHS Inc.
28. Weatherford International 29. MBM Foodservice 30. Prairie Farms Inc.
31. Praxair Inc.
32. Shaw Industries Group 33. Ben E. Keith Co.
34. Delhaize America 35. Dot Foods 36. Perdue Inc.
37. Cemex Inc.
Linde North America 38. Walgreen Co.
39. Kellogg Co.
40. RSC Equipment Rental 41. Clean Harbors Inc.
42. Basic Energy Services 43. BlueLinx Holdings 44. Kraft Foods Inc.
45. Castellini Group 46. Plains All American Pipeline 47. Sunbelt Rentals Inc.
48. H-E-B Grocery Co.
49. Nabors Industries 50. Archer Daniels Midland 51. Land O’ Lakes Inc.
52. AmeriGas Partners 53. Air Products Inc.
54. Publix Super Markets 55. Advanced Drainage Systems 56. Leggett & Platt Inc.
57. Food Services of America 58. Ashley Furniture Industries 59. Pilot Flying J Inc.
60. Quanta Services Sanderson Farms Inc.
61. Mohawk Industries Inc.
62. Pepsi Bottling Ventures 63. American Air Liquide 64. United Natural Foods 65. Bunzl Distribution USA 66. Ace Hardware Corp.
67. Wakefern Food Corp.
68. Helena Chemical Co.
69. Sentinel Transportation 70. Patterson-UTI Energy 71. Cardinal Health Inc.
Foster Farms 72. Army & Air Force Exchange Service Core-Mark Holding Co.
73. Ashland Inc.
74. Sherwin-Williams Co.
75. Mobile Mini Inc.
76. Genuine Parts Co.
77. Gilster-Mary Lee Corp.
78. Silver Eagle Distributors 79. Darling International 80. Stericycle Inc.
81. ABC Supply Co. Inc.
82. Chrysler Transport 83. True Value Co.
84. Austin Powder Co.
(tie) McKee Foods Corp.
85. CVS Caremark Corp.
86. HD Supply Inc.
87. Costco Wholesale Corp.
88. Unisource Worldwide 89. Owens & Minor Inc.
90. Valley Proteins Inc.
91. Bridgestone Americas 92. IFCO Systems North America 93. Cargill Meat Logistics Solutions 94. Trinity Industries Inc.
95. Stock Building Supply 96. Bimbo Bakeries USA 97. Sealy Corp.
98. Safety-Kleen Systems 99. Builders FirstSource Inc.
McGriff Industries 100. Grocers Supply Co.
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