commercial trucks

As Traffic in Chicago Worsens, City and Trucking Companies Forced to Change Their Practices

August 23, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Recent reports conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the 2019 Urban Mobility Report have discovered that Chicago is tenth in the nation regarding the number of hours that Chicagoans waste commuting, as well as ranking third in the total number of hours spent in traffic, resulting in 352 million hours. Looking at these numbers a little closer, the report suggests that due to traffic delays, commuters lose a total of $1,307 annually, a staggering number considering the cost of having a vehicle in the city and commuting to surrounding suburbs. As the Chicago Tribune reported this week on the new study, “more congestion is occurring at periods beyond what is traditionally considered “rush hour.” The author of the report, Bill Eisele, was also able to speak with the Tribune and noted that “a third of the area’s delays happened outside the peak morning and afternoon commuting times.” Why the sudden increase in traffic? While many in Chicago would agree that such circumstances have been a long time in the making, it turns out that the recent uptick in the economy is likely to blame for the increased amount of congestion. The report cites back to some of the initial data it compiled in 1982 and found that the total number of jobs has grown 50% since then, therefore meaning there are far more people not only living in the city but commuting for work as well.

Many people who already live in large cities around the United States may say that this is common sense and as jobs grow, so does the amount of people living and working in the city. To an extent, that is true; however, there are a multitude of outside factors that make traffic in cities like Chicago far worse. For instance, we previously wrote on Chicago’s history of infrastructure issues, specifically regarding crumbling roads and bridges, especially in rural Illinois. As much as we want to think those small potholes on the freeway are a very minor issue not worth dealing with, Chicago is the third largest city in the United States and should be capable of much more. It just so happens that factors such as these are exactly what the new Texas A&M study suggests are only fueling the fire that is the increase in traffic. In his interview with the Tribune, Eisele referred to a need for “squeezing more efficiency out of the system,” essentially ensuring that traffic lights are properly timed, crashes are cleared, and more efficient options, such as public transportation and working from home are provided by employers and the city.

Ultimately, the hope is that by doing what the city already is, but more efficiently, will ultimately curb this increase in traffic. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet that will fix traffic. The City’s infrastructure can only maintain so many commuters and it needs to take this one step at a time to really begin making a difference.

Overall Effect on the Trucking Industry

As we are all well aware, the quicker truck drivers can reach their destination, the less money lost in the process. Situations such as the ones posed in Chicago and other big cities like Los Angeles and New York cost the economy and commuters a lot of money. For instance, the report cites that the total congestion cost for the freight industry in the region totals $6.53 billion annually. Not only does that truly exhibit the ramifications of traffic issues across the United States, but it shows why steps have recently been taken to help drivers reach their destinations quicker. We previously wrote on how the current administration is aiming to cut the federal drive-time regulations currently in place that protect drivers from driving while fatigued. Unfortunately, such actions as this one eventually establish greater dangers to the drivers and others on the road. So, what can actually be done to ensure that the roads stay safe for truck drivers and commuters, while limiting the amount of money lost?

Transport Topics recently reported on a study that was conducted that could help companies alleviate the affects at issue here. Overall, the study focused on nine motor carriers and their efforts to enhance their safety records. The report listed the following keys to success for companies to increase their driver safety:

Maintaining an open-door policy for drivers to discuss safety-related issues with management.
Sharing carrierwide safety indicators with management and drivers.
Improving hiring policies and training, as well as modifying driver scheduling to reduce fatigue.
Having a zero-tolerance policy for hours-of-service violations.
Informing drivers about the company’s safety culture during orientation, and having all employees participate in safety training and education programs.
The report’s authors acknowledge the industry faces significant challenges hiring and keeping drivers, but they stress companies should resist the temptation to hire drivers to fill a slot.

For further information on the findings of the study and additional tips on driver safety, click here. As traffic congestion grows, it is well known that the roads become less safe. It is important that both drivers and trucking companies do their part, then we can push on the city to keep up with the maintenance.

Truck Drivers Must Stay Alert

April 29, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showed that nearly a third of fatal crashesin work zones involve a large vehicle or semi-truck. With such large vehicle sharing the roadway with passenger cars, truck drivers should be extremely vigilant in taking every possible precaution to avoid collisions.

Keeping an eye out:

Looks can sometimes be deceiving. The weather can make it hard to see what’s happening on the road in front of you. A driver might forget to turn their lights on. A trucker might look at the radio for a split second when traffic starts to slow down. It’s important for every long-haul driver to look ahead to try to anticipate what’s coming. Scan the road in front of you and check the mirrors regularly to be aware of what’s happening in your blind spots.

Don’t rush:

The online fidget spinner store may have promised delivery within 48 hours, but despite our growing demand for things from the internet, we should still be demanding safe travel on our nation’s highways. Soon there may not be any corner stores left to get basics like groceries as giant companies buy everything and turn the world into robot-run warehouses. The stuff we order on our smartphone apps has to get to us somehow. Before artificial intelligence replaces the need for us to ever travel outside of our houses, it may be a good idea to keep travel times for the big truck deliveries on a realistic schedule. When a driver has to carry a shipment across the country, safety should always supersede faster delivery times. I’d rather have my special order, customized hanging flower pot late than risk a driver sliding off the road in a storm because he’s trying to get there quickly.

There is no valid reason for a semi-truck to drive too fast for road conditions. Trucking and shipping companies should be regulated with this in mind. Rather than focusing on getting bigger trucks to go faster, these outfits should be making sure that everyone arrives at their destination safely. If slightly longer shipping schedules can result in fewer crashes, it’s an idea worth studying.

Also, from a labor supply point of view, truck drivers might want to look into working for another firm if they feel pressured to cut corners to make faster deliveries. In an ideal world, everyone would just follow the rules. But let’s be realistic. There is a truck driver shortage in America. The pay isn’t bad, but it’s not an easy job. Long hours, sometimes monotonous, repetitive tasks, and physically demanding job requirements means this line of work is clearly not for everybody. If a driver works for a company that doesn’t put safety first, he or she should not be shy in demanding that companies follow safety laws that are put in place for a reason. We all need to earn a living, but in this labor market you probably have options.

Put your phone away:

Distracted driving is a huge problem. As tempting as our social media feeds are, when it comes to driving, you can’t do two things at once. Anyone who drives a car these days has seen a person behind the wheel looking down at their phone. No matter how talented you think you might be at texting and driving, don’t do it. Traffic conditions can change in an instant. That’s all it takes for a distracted driver to cause a wreck. If a message is so important that it can’t wait, find a safe place to pull over. It’s a no-brainer.

The Trucking Industry Wants Congress to Consider Allowing Longer and Heavier Semi-Trucks on the Road, But Is It Safe?

April 16, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As Congress considers new spending on infrastructure projects in 2019, trucking and transportation companies are looking to convince legislators to approve more relaxed rules that would allow shippers to haul heavier loads and longer trailers on their trucks.

A number of American shipping companies, including UPS, FedEx, and Amazon formed an advocacy group with a wholesome sounding name called Americans for Modern Transportation that is actively seeking to influence Congress to allow trucks to start pulling two, connected 33-foot trailers, adding 10 feet to what the current law allows. The shipping companies argue that longer trucks would reduce the number of trucks on the road and would allow companies to better meet online shopping demand.

With people buying more things online, online shopping is rapidly overtaking brick and mortar retail sales. This begs the question that even if current shipping demands could be met by by fewer trucks with longer trailers, as demand in e-commerce inevitably increases, won’t the number of huge trucks on the road also go up? Shippers certainly aren’t looking to ship less.

Even if we imagine that these new rules would result in fewer big-rigs on the highway, longer trailers would mean heavier trucks. The increase would be measured in tons. This would also lengthen the stopping time for drivers carrying such massive cargo. Since it takes more time and distance to stop a heavier vehicle, commercial drivers would need more space on the road to operate safely.

Current rules limit truck weights to 80,000 pounds. Trucking companies want this number raised by over 5 tons to allow hauling up to 91,000 pounds. As for the trailers carried by trucks, industry advocates want to increase their length by five feet. With two, connected trailers this ads 10 feet to vehicles that are already on the road making already massive big-rigs even bigger.

Congress already rejected a similar industry proposal back in 2015. One main concern is the damage that an increase of over 5 tons per truck might cause to our already deteriorating roads and bridges.

Illinois, like the rest of the country is dealing with an aging infrastructure problem that needs to be addressed. Just recently a cracked bridge shut down Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Federal authorities said the bridge did not meet minimum national standards for new bridges, and the Federal Highway Administration called it “obsolete.”

The Briggs Street bridge that runs over I-80 in Joliet is causing concerned residents to plead to local authorities to replace it before a proposed truck stop is built right next to it.

An inspection of the bridge showed that it is in even worse condition than the partially collapsed Lake Shore Drive bridge. A truck stop there would only add more pressure, wear, and tear to an already failing bridge. Adding longer and heavier trucks to the mix could be a recipe for disaster.

Congress should consider the real impact these shipping industry proposed rules would have on people’s lives not only in the inevitable increased travel times for passenger vehicles trying to navigate around these new super trucks, but even more importantly the concern for public safety that arises. A paramount concern should be that these vehicles have safe roads and bridges to travel over. Let’s fix the roads first and then talk about bigger rigs to fill our Amazon orders.

Trucking Companies Should Focus More on Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention

January 4, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The numbers are concerning. As The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to keep statistics on work deaths, drivers consistently rank in the top ten of most dangerous jobs in the country. There is no doubt that driving a truck is hard work. Add to that the long hours, over-night routs, and tough weather conditions and a picture starts to emerge of a hard, gritty way to make a living.

With hundreds of work deaths every year, safety has to be top of mind for everyone in the transportation, shipping, and driving industry. This of course includes management as well as drivers. One obvious safety measure for drivers and management is making sure their fellow drivers are rested, alert, and sober when they hit the road in their vehicles.

Federal regulations require supervisors for commercial motor vehicle drivers who have a commercial driver’s license to complete at least an hour of training on the alcohol abuse symptoms and an additional hour of training on controlled substance symptoms. This is meant to help management recognize the signs that a driver may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and to refer them to testing. Hopefully those drivers get help. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations do not require supervisors to get recurring training on these issues.

These rules notwithstanding, trucking outfits would only benefit by paying more attention to this concern. Most Americans are aware of the opioid epidemic in this country as well as a perpetual “war on drugs” that seems to have no end in sight. Despite the fact that no reasonable person would disagree that drunk driving is wrong, people still do it.

One explanation may be loneliness. In a 2014 study on the connection between loneliness and drug abuse, researchers found that people who abuse drugs tend to be struggling with loneliness, too. Life on the road is often a solo endeavor. Drivers spend long hours alone behind the wheel and even if they drive with a partner, often one driver is sleeping while the other works.

Anyone who has ever taken a long trip knows that it is not always easy to stay alert for a long drive, therefore, rest and breaks are important. That is why it is so crucial for trucking companies to be diligent in catching signs of driver substance abuse. Some truck drivers may turn to drugs like cocaine or amphetamines to stay awake on the road, but these substances alter the mind and tend to cause symptoms that can impair a driver’s ability to make decisions and see the road in front of them clearly.

One way that trucking companies and drivers can improve this situation is by going beyond the Federal Regulations and giving more attention to drug and alcohol abuse symptom training and prevention. Being pro-active and getting ahead of the problem can save lives before it’s too late. If management is better trained on what to look for when a driver has a problem, that person may be able to get help or rehabilitation so that they can get back on the road clean and sober. Everyone should agree that a top priority for the transportation industry would be to stop and prevent impaired driving entirely. There is almost no bigger vehicle on the road and therefore a no more dangerous one than a big rig. Keeping truck drivers safe and sober is as important as the safety of everyone else on the highway. In an industry that employs so many and is so vital to our economy, more training meant to recognize how much this problem affects road safety can mean the difference between life and death.

Why Aren’t More Trucking Laws Being Passed?

February 2, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Last week we wrote about the pressure facing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to keep our highways safe with stricter regulations for truckers. Here’s more about necessary improvements to our laws so that everyone is safer on the road.

Large-truck accidents accounted for nearly 4,000 fatalities in 2013—the fourth straight year that the number of truck-related deaths has risen, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. That’s a 17 percent increase based on numbers collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In a statement, the NTSB recommended that trucking companies explore more ways to manage driver fatigue and sleep disorders, afflictions that have been the source of several deadly accidents on the road. Sleep deprivation and mandated driving hours remain constant topics of discussion among safety experts and legislators, some of whom find themselves arguing opposite ends of the spectrum. The NTSB also unveiled its “Most Wanted List” of transportation improvements for 2015, including strengthening the safety of commercial trucking through increased industry oversight.

The statistics come at a time when Congress voted to tamp down trucking regulations last year, part of an ongoing trend of legislation that effectively weakens driving limitations and mandated driving hours. An example of one such amendment, passing on a 21-9 vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee in early June, rescinded a provision that required drivers to take breaks between the hours of 1-5am. The vote passed despite widespread opposition by safety advocates, transportation experts and the White House, all of which expressed concern for those driving at high speeds in the wee hours of the morning.

Also from NTSB: Highway regulators have failed to act on more than 100 recommendations over the last year to improve truck safety, as trucking lobbyists aggressively seek to protect the working rights of operators and those who maintain clean driving records. It’s a proverbial game of cat and mouse in the eyes of many.

The Board says that safety should be the industry’s highest priority, though recent amendments and deregulations seemingly prove otherwise. When it comes down to it, trucking accidents are increasingly preventable, thanks to new technology such as vehicle sensors. At this stage, sensors are more of a suggestion than a requirement.

So why aren’t more laws being passed to prevent accidents from happening?

The cynical person might chalk it up to the nature of the system — high price of doing business in a fast-paced world. But others, like Steve Pociask, President of the American Consumer Institute, in an opinion piece for the Daily Caller, points out that revisiting transportation reform should be a higher priority for the 114^th Congress, whether it be new laws and regulations or revisiting long-standing laws to determine what’s working and what isn’t. But assuming the issue gets swept under the rug, it’s safe to conclude that accidents will continue to happen.

Advocates Aim for Stricter Requirements for Commercial Drivers

January 29, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

For years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has faced a bevy of criticism for failing to institute stricter training requirements for operators of large commercial trucks. That criticism has turned into action, according to the New York Times, which reports that safety advocates and at least one labor union has filed suit in federal court over FMCSA’s lack of progress. It seems it was only a matter of time.

In a span of ten years, says the Times, Congress has twice ordered the FMCSA make changes to its training measures, only to see the FMCSA bypass the requisite deadlines. The federal organization has made incremental improvements over the last decade, but not enough to satisfy a growing contingent of safety groups and those who say the FMCSA’s so-called improvements are akin to a running joke. Currently the FMCSA requires a minimum of ten hours in the classroom and a driving test before allowing drivers with big rigs onto the road, only after the “relatively simple process” of filing for a commercial license.

That doesn’t satisfy people like Henry Jansy, general counsel at Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, who took a harsh line with the FMCSA, saying “There’s just no excuse anymore. This should be basic stuff. People are dying because of the lack of training out there.”

Making matters worse for the FMCSA is the rising number of fatalities related to large commercial trucks. The Times points out that traffic related fatalities have reached a new low, however accidents involving large trucks have steadily increased; fatalities are up by four percent and serious injuries up by 18 percent since 2012. Based on data from the Transportation Department, an additional 200,000 accidents with large trucks caused damage but no injuries.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) reports that Illinois tractor-trailer accidents account for nearly 11% of traffic deaths over the last five years. In 2005, Illinois eighteen-wheeler accidents caused a little more than 200 of the nearly 2000 total traffic fatalities.

Some safety points to note from the IDOT:

In Illinois, fatal crashes between trucks and other vehicles most often occur:

On Tuesday through Friday, between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., when the weather is clear and the road is dry
Due to speed or improper lane use
When the truck driver is between 28-43 years old and the driver of the other vehicle is between 20-30 years old
When the driver (of the truck OR the other vehicle) has fallen asleep or has been drinking

Avoid these four blind spots when driving near or around a large vehicle:

Don’t return to the driving lane until you can see the entire front of the truck in your rearview mirror
If you can’t see one of the truck drivers’ side mirrors, he or she can’t see you either
If you can’t see the truck driver in one of your side mirrors, he or she can’t see you
Don’t enter the area between the curb or shoulder and the truck if the truck is signaling a turn

Additional safety points:

Some other safety information to be aware of when you encounter larger vehicles on the road include things like weight difference, the risk of underride and override, stopping distance, and “splash and spray.”

Reviewing and remembering these basic principles can help keep you safe on the road, and prevent the unexpected.