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Truck-Screening Technology Expanding Throughout Arizona

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To keep compliant trucks moving regularly, the use of innovative truck-screening technology has been implemented across the Arizona Department of Transportation.

In a news release by ADOT, the department said it would be using this tech alongside commercial ports of entry in order to more easily record important identifying information of trucks as well as weight and other qualifying factors. So far, this truck-screening technology has only been in place at rest areas, such as the McGuireville rest stop on Interstate 17, Canoa Ranch on Interstate 19, and Sacaton on Interstate 10.

The truck-screening tech will now be expanded to commercial entry ports along Interstates 10 and 40, and on state Route 95 in Parker.

“This truck-screening system will allow our officers to focus on the commercial vehicles that need our officers’ attention,” said ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division deputy director, Jeff Stanhope. “It helps us make better use of our resources and efforts while allowing trucks in compliance to go on their way.”

The technology, when expended across the major east-west routes of Interstates 10 and 40, will be passing through Arizona in order to connect New Mexico and California. With state Route 95 running along the borders of Arizona, it will also feed into California and Nevada.

“As you’re coming from New Mexico or California on either I-10 or I-40, you’ll go through these truck-screening places,” said Ryan Harding, spokesman for ADOT. “There’s a lot of truck traffic on those interstates.”

This tech has cameras meant to read USDOT numbers and license plates, weigh-in motion sensors, and message signs. At the Ehrenberg and San Simon ports of entry on Interstate 10, the screening technology can identify commercial vehicles that have tires in need of repair, as tire failure on any commercial vehicle can bring potentially catastrophic situations to the road and can allow dangerous tire debris to be left on roadways. For this feature, the agency is still evaluating how accurate the sensors can be.

When a truck is approaching an entry port, signs will direct the driver to the right lane, and when he or she reaches a half-mile point from the port, cameras and sensors are able to capture the commercial vehicle’s information and relay it back to the port’s ADOT Enforcement and Compliance Division officers.

The sensors and cameras along the roadway are meant to more easily collect necessary information about the commercial truck without the driver having to stop.

“The cameras are really high-speed, so they can capture the U.S. DOT number and license plate, and it’s able to weight the truck as it rolls over,” said Harding.

The screening system will then compare the truck’s information against state and national databases, and truckers that are compliant will be allowed to bypass the port. If the port’s system detects a problem, the highway signs will alert the driver that he or she must pull into the port for inspection. Some of these issues calling for a driver to stop include: out-of-service orders, expired registration, or permits not on file. At the Ehrenburg and San Simon ports of entry, this could also include any tire problems detected.

“It just makes it more efficient because the trucks are coming into the port are those trucks that need further inspection by officers, and the trucks that are OK can just continue right on,” said Harding. “It kind of smooths the flow of commerce.”

This truck-screening technology will not only make life on the road easier for truckers, but will also aid overall state planning. Size and weight information will be stored by ADOT in order to help its Multimodal Planning Division make more accurate and necessary decisions in relation to the state’s highway system.

It will also work to save truck drivers and officers resources and time on the job, and make their work a bit more stress-free.

“We hope that this will make it a lot more efficient for the flow of commerce in and out of the state, and make it more efficient for our officers’ time and resources as well by only inspecting trucks that need it,” explained Harding.

House Votes to Raise Minimum Insurance Requirements for Carriers

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Last month, House of Representatives lawmakers approved an amendment made to at least double minimum insurance requirements for commercial motor vehicles.

The highway funding bill would increase minimum liability insurance from $750,000 to $2 million, and was introduced by Illinois Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia to amend the INVEST Act transportation bill. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the amendment by a 37 to 27 vote.

Although the bill has been widely criticized by trucking industry professionals saying owner-operators and smaller carriers could face major challenges due to costs, Garcia defended his beliefs on Twitter.

“Minimum insurance requirements for motor carriers were established in 1980 and have never been adjusted for inflation,” he said. “It’s inadequate and saddles families with crippling medical care costs resulting from catastrophic crashes. My amendment with Rep. (Adriano) Espaillat, Rep. (Steve) Cohen, and Rep. Hank Johnson modestly increases the minimum insurance requirements and requires that it keep up with inflation. This isn’t about trial lawyers or an attack on truckers. It’s about supporting families who have lost loved ones.”

The bill is also currently opposed by the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

“ATA does not support an arbitrary increase to minimum insurance limits,” said ATA vice president of communications, Sean McNally. “To be an effective tool for improving safety, there must be an open, fair, and data-driven process to inform and guide what insurance limits should be, not just inserting a number that trial lawyers pull from thin air.”

The industry has seen insurance premiums steadily rising for motor carriers over the last few years, which has also aligned with increasing amounts of “nuclear verdicts” against trucking firms. But although fleets have been paying higher costs for insurance, premiums have stayed rooted in safety standards.

Still, amendment opposers are convinced higher prices will prove detrimental to smaller businesses throughout the industry.

“Raising the insurance minimum will do nothing to improve highway safety and would be nothing short of disastrous for many small motor carriers that are struggling to stay in business,” said OOIDA director of public relations, Norita Taylor.

On the other hand, the bill’s supporters, including some trucking safety groups, have praised the passing of the amendment, deeming it a victory for the families of crash victims.

“#SaferTrucking Update: Rep. Chuy Garcia’s Amendment 062 says the #InfrastructureBill passed by a vote of 37 (Ayes) – 27 Nays!” tweeted the Institute for Safer Trucking. “This amendment will help families who have survived truck crashes and help make the trucking industry safer.”

In the American Transportation Research Institute’s recent study of nuclear verdicts, results from analysis of 600 jury verdicts from between the years of 2006 and 2019 and from surveys by defense attorneys, plaintiff attorneys, insurance carriers, and industry experts showed concerning trends.

“One respondent specified that ‘low-risk’ motor carriers are experiencing 8% to 10% increases in insurance costs, while new ventures and average-to-marginal carriers are experiencing a 35% to 40% annual increase–a trend that has occurred for three consecutive years,” said that institute in its study. “Based on ATRI’s operational cost data, small fleets and owner-operators pay out-of-pocket considerably more on a per-unit basis than large fleets.”

FMCSA said that although it had received a large number of comments in response to the ANPRM, the commentary “did not provide responsive information necessary to allow the agency to proceed to a notice of proposed rule-making.”

The agency continued: “In particular, commenters did not provide sufficient costs or benefit data, and the agency was unable to otherwise obtain sufficient data on industry practice with respect to the level of liability limits in excess of the agency’s minimum financial responsibility requirements, the costs of such premiums and the frequency of [them], and the amount by which bodily injury and property damage claims exceed policy liability limits.”

FMCSA said based on this information, it could not determine “potential increases in insurance premiums associated with increased financial responsibility limits, or the impact of an increase in minimum financial responsibility requirements on insurance company capital requirements.”

Before the amendment goes into effect, the INVEST Act will still need to pass in both the House and the Senate.

ATRI Says Number of Nuclear Verdicts Against Trucking Industry is Increasing

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Almost 300 court cases with jury verdicts of at least $1 million over the last five years have been made against trucking fleets.

In a new report made by the American Transportation Research Institute, named “Understanding the Impact of Nuclear Verdicts on the Trucking Industry,” the institution details the comprehensive research done regarding “nuclear verdicts” that took place between the years of 2006 and 2019.

In the 600 cases analyzed, it was found that big verdicts against motor carriers had been growing exponentially. Only four of these 600 were over $1 million in 2006, but had grown to over 70 cases of at least $1 million verdicts in 2014. ATRI’s consideration of nuclear verdicts, which are of $10 million or more, made up 71 total cases out of the 600.

“This issue has had a stifling impact on motor carriers and industry stakeholders–well beyond those involved in a truck crash,” said Moseley Marcinak Law Group partner, Rob Moseley. “ATRI’s research on litigation provides important guidance on leveling the playing field between truckers and trial lawyers, both in and outside of the courtroom.”

After creating a comprehensive analysis from dozens of insurance expert, motor carrier professional, defense attorney, and plaintiff attorney interviews, ATRI made recommendations for pretrial preparation modifications, explanations for changes in the litigation landscape, new mediation approaches, and analysis about how large verdicts affect overall safety.

In conclusion, ATRI found that the two main factors impacting verdict sizes wre crashes and litigation.

For crash factors, the institute focused on injuries sustained, the number of deaths, and the number of cars involved. For litigation, ATRI focused on expert witness presence.

“Five particular factors brought against a defendant yielded 100% verdicts in factor of the plaintiff,” the study said. “These issues included hours-of-service or log book violations, lack of a clean driving history, driving under the influence of controlled substances, fleeing the scene of the crash, and health-related issues.”

The severity of the injury, the number of people involved, the characteristics of people involved. and the makes and models of vehicles involved also had large effects on verdicts, ATRI said. Verdict sizes increased by over 1,600% percent when children were involved in crashes, regardless of who was at fault.

The study also found that the time between the date of the crash and the date of the verdict, traumatic brain injuries sustained during the crash, and the number of children injured or killed in a crash all significantly increase verdict sizes. On the other hand, the presence of a defense expert witness was found to decrease verdict sizes.

Injuries to spinal cords tended to at least double verdict sizes, increasing jury awards to just under $3.5 million. For rear-end crashes, plaintiffs win the verdict in almost 90% of cases. If a rear-end crash takes place in a work zone, that crash will bring in the highest verdict of any rear-end accident, averaging around $7.25 million per case. If a crash has a “spin and roll” incident, that case will likely bring in an award of almost $15 million.

“This study documents a frequency in excessive awards that, while not surprising, tells us that the trial system has gotten completely off track,” said Porter Rennie Woodard Kendall partner, Clay Porter. “Foundational changes are needed in the way we determine non-economic and punitive damages.”

In addition, insurance rates are clearly based on safety backgrounds, although fleets are now paying more than ever.

In ATRI’s study, a respondent stated that ‘low-risk’ carriers have seen up to 10% increases in insurance premiums, “while new ventures and average-to-marginal carriers are experiencing a 35% to 40% annual increase,” which has been continuing to rise for the last three years. “Based on ATRI’s operational cost data, small fleets and owner-operators pay out-of-pocket considerably more on a per-unit basis than larger fleets.”

Last month, we reported that in ATRI’s annual Top Industry Survey, a top research priority for 2020 is the impact of small settlements on the trucking industry. A study into this topic would look into legal settlements under $1 million and focus on each incident’s fleet response, as well as the frequency of those cases. It would also consider verdicts in comparison to settlements, which will aim to follow up on ATRI’s nuclear verdicts analyses.

Tech and Social Media More Important Than Ever to Drivers During Pandemic

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As drivers continue working on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, social-distancing regulations can make truckers feel even more isolated than normal.

“Not only are drivers being exposed to the COVID-19 virus on a daily basis as they eat, fuel, deliver, and shower away from home, they worry about exposing their families if and when they do get home,” said president of Women in Trucking Association, Ellen Voie. “Now, add protests in major cities to the mix, and a driver’s physical safety is even more vulnerable. Their families need to be reassured that their loved one–a driver–is safe.”

Ruan president Dan Van Alstine agreed, saying truckers are especially worried about their families when they are returning home, or when they are choosing to self-isolate and stay on the road.

“A lot of times, drivers will have anxiety about what is going on at home,” said Van Alstine. “Right now, kids aren’t at school, and family members might be at risk. This is a bizarre time and can feel very different.”

For some drivers, social distancing has meant missing important family events or not being able to be present for family members in times of need. For over-the-road driver Glenna Willis, it has meant missing her husband’s occupational therapy appointments while he works to recover from recent health problems.

Because of this, Willis communicates with her husband and his doctors through Google Duo while on her breaks as she hauls freight for Tri-State Expedited Service out of Perrysburg, Ohio.

“I have a way to actually see his face and see how he is walking, or watch the occupational or physical therapy so we know what we can do at home,” she explained.

Like Willis, many truckers have been relying on technology to connect with family and friends back home, as well as with their carriers and co-workers. For drivers who are self-isolating on the job or who regularly work long-haul gigs, this mobile tech is especially important.

“Most drivers don’t go to a job and say, ‘Send me to a place where I’m going to have a difficult time staying connected,’” said DriverReach president, Jeremy Reymer.

Video chat capabilities through applications like Zoom and Skype have been widely used across the industry during this time.

“Video is very personal and engaging,” said Reymer, who called video calls the next best thing to chatting in person.

Those connecting with their trucking companies while on the road have found video chat apps extraordinarily useful, as well.

“We have a driver service department that calls drivers every day just to check in and see if they are having any issues we can help with,” said director of driver services for Averitt Express, David Broyles.

Cell phones have also become the new modern citizens band radio, according to professional driver Bob Stanton.

“We do daisy-chain phone calls,” Stanton said of himself and other drivers. “You can add people to the phone call. It is the chitty chat you would have done on a CB, but it is people we know instead of the random truck that happens to be in front of you. The challenge is if the person who started the chain leaves, you have to start all over.”

Stanton also has daily morning calls with his wife to keep them both assured the other is safe. “It is for both of us,” he said. “If she doesn’t call me back, the kids are going to go check on her. If I don’t answer the call, she has the 24-hour numbers for dispatch, so they can see if [my truck] is moving or not.” He also said he shares his location each not with his family via Google Maps.

Some drivers are having a tougher time with the isolation than others. 

“I miss being able to give handshakes to my fellow coworkers,” said Averitt over-the-road driver, Chris Yohn. “I miss being able to have a meal at a truck stop surrounded by other drivers. There is no real way to combat the isolation. It’s just something we have to live with for now.”

Some companies are working on expanding further virtual communication among drivers in order to boost mental health during this time.

For example, driver health and wellness program provider Rolling Strong has a mobile app featuring social media pages allowing drivers to connect to new friends on the site.

“Once you find people, you can message back and forth between those new contacts you’ve made,” said Rolling strong president Steve Kane. “We built this whole gamification aspect of our program. You can create head-to-head competition.”

Kane said the mobile app makes it easier for drivers to connect to new acquaintances, and that drivers can also invite their family and friends onto the site, as well.

Averitt has also created a private Facebook page for Averitt drivers to more easily connect. The group is administered by the company’s driver services workers.

“Drivers share information they feel is important on the page and ask questions,” said Broyles. “We average about 900 posts or comments a day.”

Industry Experts Hope for Decrease in Crash Fatalities

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Although shelter-in-place mandates brought on by the coronavirus  pandemic have made traffic numbers drop significantly during the first quarter of 2020, there was only a 1% decrease in fatalities compared to those of 2019’s first quarter. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recent “early estimates” report said 7,780 people died in crashes during that period of 2020, which is only 70 fewer than that of last year. Still, preliminary data also show vehicle miles traveled during that time decreased by 40.1 billion miles (5.4%). These numbers do not portray the number of big rig vehicles involved in such crashes.

Additionally, the rate of crash fatality during 2020’s first quarter actually increased to 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled from the 1.05 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the period just before.

“Given the unprecedented nature of the health emergency and the limited data collected thus far, it is unclear what conclusions or broader trends can be extrapolated at this point,” said NHTSA. When projections from the first half of the year are released in September, these overall estimations will be refined further.

“Due to recent anecdotal reports of increased speeding and reckless driving on emptier roads in recent months, NHTSA has launched a new summer ad campaign to remind drivers to drive safely as Americans get back on the road,” said the agency. “We will be following the data closely and issuing a special report on traffic safety during this unique period later this summer.”

Some of the administration’s campaign efforts have been seen on Twitter recently.

“Summer vacations may look a little different this year, but summer driving safety tips always apply,” said NHTSA in a tweet. “Wherever you’re headed, keep yourself, your family, and others on the road safe by completing a few vehicle checks and obeying the rules of the road.”

Also in the report were data showing an increase in fatalities between 2017 and 2018 with large-truck occupants, pedestrians, and pedalcyclists. Additionally, crash fatalities increased over 10 consecutive quarters starting in 2014’s fourth quarter. The second quarter of 2017 saw a 1.1% decline which stopped the upward trend, and 2019’s second quarter brought the seventh quarter in a row of yearly fatality decreases since 2017.

In regards to large trucks involved with crash fatalities, the number of these big rigs in fatal crashes increased by 4.6% between 2017 and 2018, with trucks weighing between 10,001 and 14,000 pounds. In the same period, the number of trucks over 26,000 pounds involved with fatal crashes increased by 1.6%.

During these periods, the largest factors in these crashes were: speeding, distraction, and failure to yield right-of-way.

“The first goal is to stop that upward trend,” said FMCSA’s chief safety officer, Jack Van Steenburg at the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting in January. “For the next several months, we at FMCSA are going to go out and talk to people. We’re going to listen to people. We want to tell them what we’re doing, ask how we can do it better, what can we do differently, and how can we do it differently to prevent these crashes from occurring.”

The NHTSA says it is currently still finalizing data from crash fatalities during 2018 and 2019 by “using information from police crash reports and other sources.” and that it is “too soon to speculate on the contributing factors or potential implications of any changes in deaths on our roadways.” When the final file for 2018 and annual report for 2019 become available this fall, it will likely result “in the revision of fatality totals and the ensuing rates and percentage changes.”

Jim Mullen, acting FMCSA Administrator, said that he has been working diligently to find ways to reverse the increase of large-truck fatalities that have been present over the last four years.

“When I assumed this role as an acting administrator three months ago, the members of this panel asked me what are my top priorities,” Mullen said at the annual TRB meeting. “That, to me, was a no-brainer. The top priority for me at this agency is to reverse that four-year trend [of] increasing fatalities involved with large trucks and buses.”

Trucking Implements Social Distancing and Sanitation as New Normal

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As coronavirus continues affecting the nation, truckers have had to implement new sanitation and social distancing techniques into their daily lives. Now, it is the new normal for the industry.

According to the CDC, truckers must: always keep a distance of 6 feet away from anyone else whenever possible; limit outside-of-cab time while fueling, loading, unloading, and when at truck stops; use paperless invoicing; make appointments with facilities ahead of unloading activities; communicate with dock managers via phone; pack food and water to limit the number of stops on the road; avoid shaking hands; and keep trucks well-ventilated.

The CDC also wants truck drivers to continue wearing cloth face coverings whenever they may be in a public area, as well as to regularly clean and disinfect surfaces such as: the truck cab, including door handles, the steering wheel, seat belts, arm and head rests, the turn signal, wiper controls, the dashboard, and temperature controls; the sleeper berth, including light switches, the mattress tray, and other flat surfaces. They must also always request anyone else using the truck thoroughly disinfects it before returning it back and that all disinfection routines include diluted household bleach solutions or alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol.

Although these guidelines are appreciated and understood, adhering to them hasn’t been so simple, as many of these necessary materials have been scarce, even for the trucking industry. To keep risk to a minimum as truckers serve areas of the country with the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases, the industry has had to find new and creative ways to keep its employees safe.

For example, Grand Island Express has had a particularly difficult time finding cleaning supplies and personal protective gear. The company had to use extra T-shirts found in storage to make masks and also had to source cleaning products from a restaurant supplier connection.

“It is forcing us to think outside of the box,” said Grand Island director of operations, Deen Albert.

One driver for the company, Josh Rodriguez, said even these unorthodox provisions have helped him feel safer when heading into areas with heavy virus numbers. Rodriguez wears a mask, gloves, and keeps hand sanitizer ready at all times.

“I feel as safe as I can in this situation with the interactions we have,” he said. “I don’t want to drive myself crazy, but I want to balance it with the proper precautions.”

Still, other fleets are struggling to find necessary protective supplies as well. C.R. England’s director of management series, David Allred, said his fleet has had to find loopholes in obtaining effective hand sanitizer.

“We had to get creative,” he said, “such as using a four-ounce restaurant squeeze bottle for hand sanitizer.” C.R. England is also still working to find enough masks and gloves for all employees.

“However, since bulk orders have been back-ordered for some time, we still encourage all our employees to take the initiative to secure these items for themselves first, and the company will provide supplemental support,” he explained.

Because of that, C.R. England driver and trainer John Goode has relied on family for sanitation supply help. His aunt is a dentist, so she was able to give him much-needed gloves and masks once her practice shutdown during the pandemic.

“Every time we leave the truck, we put our surgical gloves on and put our mask on, and we don’t bring the gloves back in the truck with us,” said Goode. “After we do that, we sanitize our hands with the hand sanitizer, and we take the Clorox wipes and wipe down everything.”

Social distancing has had to become routine, as well, although it is not always easy in this industry.

“On the road, many shippers are not allowing drivers to access their docks,” said Averitt Express president Wayne Spain. “When they do have access to the dock and need to interact with a customer, they are keeping adequate space in between one another.”

Over-the-road Averitt driver Chris Yohn said customer locations are working to take initiative on social distancing.

“Shippers and receivers are doing their best to keep everyone separated,” he said.

These measures are even implemented when paperwork and signatures are needed.

“When it comes to paperwork, I’ll place the forms on a table for [the customer] to initial so that we can keep an appropriate distance from each other,” another Averitt driver, Manny Rodriguez, explained.

Grand Island’s Rodriguez also said customers have been marking 6 feet distances to create easier separation between themselves and drivers.

“They’ve been enforcing that,” he said. “Before, you’d be standing in line with eight to 10 drivers. Now, there are no more than three inside, and the rest wait outside.”