road safety

Post-Pandemic Roadways Seeing More Traffic Once Again–What Does That Mean for Safety?

June 17, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 22: Rush hour traffic fills the 101 freeway on March 22, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. According to a recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Los Angeles ranks only behind New York with the dirtiest and most hazardous air to breathe. Although Angelinos breathe cleaner air than they did in the 1970’s, they face a cancer risk that is about twice the national average. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, we reported on data showing that although stay-at-home orders had cleared up a majority of traffic congestion throughout the nation’s roadways, overall levels of road safety had remained incredibly low.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic has exposed our road safety culture for what it is,” explained National Safety Council President and CEO, Lorraine Martin, at the time. “We did not reap the safety benefits we should have experienced.”

Martin noted that the clearer roadways motivated many drivers to drive much more carelessly than usual, and drivers are often tempted to reach dangerous speeds when roads are empty–they often may also fail to use a seat belt due to a false sense of security.

“It’s clear that our open roads have created somewhat of an open season for reckless driving,” Martin added.

Now, it seems that even those who did drive safely–or stayed home completely–during the pandemic have had trouble adjusting to roadways getting crowded once again as more drivers return to work, according to industry experts.

“What we’re observing is that as the rest of us get back on those roads, we’ve forgotten how to share the road,” said Geotab’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, Colin Sutherland. ”We see cars pulling in directly in front of heavy-duty trucks on the highway, forgetting that heavy-duty trucks need more room for braking than the car does.”

In an effort to boost overall roadway safety, Geotab–a vehicle tracking service–collaborated in a campaign with Together for Safer Roads during the United Nations’ recent Global Road Safety Week. During the campaign, the two organizations called on commercial fleets to help bring an end to speed-related road accidents.

As we approach the Summer months, Sutherland warns that these days are the most important to stay particularly safe and aware while driving, as the number of road trips rises and more people than usual hit the road.

“That’s being borne out [of] the increase in accidents that are happening on the road today,” he explained. “An increase over pre-COVID, which is very scary.”

In 2020, America’s roadways saw more vehicle crash deaths than they have in the past 13 years–42,060 people are believed to have died in fatal crashes–8% more than in 2019, even though fewer people were driving throughout the year. All motor vehicle total miles driven even fell by 13% in 2020 from 2019.

The Safety Management Council of American Trucking Associations is currently studying the traffic changes and their effects from the COVID-19 pandemic while we wait for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to release its official 2020 truck and bus accident report.

“We are starting a benchmarking group and will hopefully have this data more readily available,” said ATA’s Safety Management Council executive director, Jacob Pierce. “There are [fewer] cars on the road, so you’d figure that there would be [fewer] accidents. However, [fewer] cars on the road equals probably more passenger vehicles driving [with more risk], driving faster, [and] really not paying attention.”

In regards to the differences that are expected between roadway activity as people return to the roads after lockdown and how drivers behaved on the roads during the pandemic, there is no way to make any real predictions.

“It could go either way,” explained Angela Savino, a business law attorney at Perez Morris. “There certainly was more trucking activity. So, [given] that alone, you might think there was an uptick. But It was a whole different set of circumstances–just the congestion on the road was different”

Many industry experts were genuinely shocked at the data coming from roadway traffic accidents in 2020.

“The last year had a surprising amount of activity–from my perspective–[more] than would have been expected,” said Bluewire’s chief legal officer, Doug Marcello. “Anecdotally, I had more accidents that we were engaged to deal with immediately over the first month of the pandemic than I did most other months, and all of them were situations where four-wheelers had thrown caution to the wind and ended up striking the truck in some way.”

COVID’s Economic Effect Means State Lawmakers May Raise Taxes to Fund Road and Bridge Repairs

June 12, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

States are currently “waiting to see what direction the federal government is going to be taking” in regards to raising state infrastructure taxes, according to American Road and Transportation Builders Association advocacy director, Carolyn Kramer.

Tax raising plans have seen little movement through 2021, although many Democratic and Republican lawmakers have often been in agreement in regards to these plans relating to the updating and improvement of bridges and roads throughout the country.

Additionally, the amount of infrastructure boosts and repairs needed has grown steadily while the funds available to do so have declined, likely due to revenue challenges brought about during the COVID-19 era.

However, while many states plan to raise fuel taxes as soon as possible, others aren’t currently seeing the need.

“It looks like a cruise ship sitting in a pond–that’s how much money we’re getting flowing into the state of Colorado from the federal government,” explained Senator Ray Scott of Colorado. “If Biden does get this pushed through and we have additional funding coming our way, why would we go after the taxpayer when we have ways we can handle it right now?”

Some of Colorado’s Democratic legislators plan to raise electric and hybrid vehicle sales fees, retail delivery service fees, ride-sharing company fees, and gasoline sales fees, although Senator Scott is working to create an upgraded transportation plan on any boost in federal funding.

Per capita spending on Colorado transportation has dropped by nearly half in the last 20 years, while gas tax rates throughout the states have remained the same. In regards to an updated state funding plan, Colorado hasn’t undergone a legislative hearing.

“Colorado’s transportation system is so far behind that we need federal investment and we need state-level investment,” said Senator Faith Winter.

Fewer than 170 transportation funding bills have been proposed in 2021 throughout the country, which is only half the number proposed by state lawmakers in 2019. No transportation tax rates increases have been passed, either.

In the works: President Joe Biden has proposed $135 billion for American road and bridge projects (as part of his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan) and has also signed a coronavirus relief package–including $350 billion for state and local government projects. Many states, including Indiana and Maryland are working to use this funding on a variety of transportation upgrade projects while other states are using their allocated funds in accordance with future federal guidance.

In regards to Biden’s road and bridge funding, Republican Senators have opposed this plan with a counter proposal of $299 billion for infrastructure projects. Congress is also in the process of approving a long-term highway program renewal that would funnel billions to states on an annual basis.

Additionally, Congress is being pushed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to double current funding limits and bring about another $485 billion five-year highway program, along with a $200 billion road-and-bridge stimulus.

For North Dakota, recent legislature has passed a $680 million infrastructure bonding plan that would focus on flood-control infrastructure projects as well as $70 million for bridge and road projects–bonds which would be repaid with state oil tax savings earnings as opposed to the Senate-defeated 3-cent gas tax raise.

North Dakota’s bridge and road spending can be funded with the help of federal coronavirus relief package funds and possibly a federal infrastructure bill, according to North Dakota Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner. A gas tax boost is not needed thanks to the state’s oil fund, he explained.

Many states have come back quickly from the revenue obstacles brought about by COVID-19-related restrictions, even seeing budget surpluses at the hands of federal aid and income tax revenue.

“You cannot sell a tax increase to the public at a time when you’ve got something like $4 billion sitting in your checkbook,” explained Senator Tom Bakk of Minnesota. “That’s just not going to happen.”

29 states have raised fuel taxes since 2013, and these increases, for the sake of road and bridge projects, have received strong support from both republicans and democrats. Still, no states have implemented such an increase since Virginia’s fuel tax increase at the start of COVID-19’s economic effects on the country.

Still, many government officials who oppose any fuel tax increases–regardless of their potential benefit to state infrastructure–have explained that, especially coming out of coronavirus-related economic struggles, many people should not only not have to bear the burden of these revenue deficits, but too many people wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“Adding another almost 10 cents a gallon to the price of their commute, they just wouldn’t be able to handle it,” said Alaska state Representative Kevin McCabe.

New Bill Aims to Finally End Distracted Driving for All

June 4, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Distracted driving is an issue for everyone who shares the road, and cellphone use while operating a commercial motor vehicle or while driving near a truck can lead to fatal accidents.

Because of this, American Trucking Associations has formally expressed its support for a federal bill that would work to end the usage of cellphones while driving for all drivers–passenger vehicle drivers and truckers alike.

In February of this year, the Safe to Drive Act–a bipartisan bill–was introduced to the House and the Senate. The legislation would allocate up to a quarter of the U.S Department of Transportation’s funds within national priority safety program grants to states that can show they have set forth a statute regarding distracted driving that: can be used for drivers of any age, bans any handheld cellphone use or handheld use of any personal communication device while driving, and ensures that the violation of said statute is a primary offense.

“The trucking industry knows all too well the dangers of distracted driving and the threat it poses to all motorists, not just our professional truck drivers whose workplace is our nation’s roadways,” said Dan Horvath, Vice President of ATA’s Safety Policy, in a recent letter to transportation leaders in both the House and the Senate. “Ensuring all drivers are educated about the dangers of distracted driving, and effective enforcement of common-sense highway safety laws, will greatly aid our shared goal of zero highway fatalities.”

While many may assume that accidents involving a passenger vehicle and at least one truck due to distracted driving may be the fault of a trucker, Horvath noted that typically, these incidents are caused by dangerous behavior demonstrated by passenger vehicle drivers.

“Although 70 percent of fatal crashes involving a large truck and passenger vehicle are initiated by the actions of, or are the fault of, a passenger vehicle–there is now federal law preventing passenger vehicle drivers from using handheld mobile devices while driving,” he said. “Our nation’s professional truck drivers see distracted drivers all the time, and, unfortunately, no level of defensive driving can prevent all accidents from occurring.”

Current federal mandates restrict truck drivers from operating vehicles while using any handheld devices at any time–even while stopped at a traffic light.

“Given data showing the majority of car-truck collisions are the result of passenger driver behavior, extending those bans to all drivers and not just truck drivers will have a positive impact on safety,” Horvath added.

According to ATA, the Safe to Drive Act will be a “tremendous opportunity” for the country and the transportation industry to focus upon and allocate helpful resources to all accidents that are so often caused by distracted drivers–the kinds of accidents that can be hard for a truck driver to avoid.

“In commercial trucking, we require drivers to keep their eyes on the road ahead at all times–and we should expect the same vigilance of every motorist on the road,” said Horvath. “Sadly, convenient access to social media and streaming services has only increased the number of potential road hazards, leading to increases in the quantity and severity of distracted driving incidents.”

In fact, many truck drivers are incredibly surprised–and horrified–to learn about how often distracted driving really occurs on the road and how tricky it can be to anticipate the accidents that may accompany those distractions.

“I have seen everything from texting, to putting makeup on, to even reading a newspaper while driving,” said YRC Freight truck driver, Steve Fields. “Taking your eyes off of the road for just two seconds compromises highway safety. Anything we can do to reduce distraction is a good thing.”

This legislation’s co-sponsors hope that this kind of bill will help bring an end to these easily avoidable dangers once and for all.

“When drivers take their eyes off of the road, they endanger themselves, other drivers, and pedestrians,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar. “This legislation will help ensure states have the resources to create safer roads for all and ultimately, save lives.”

The number of deaths in accidents that involved distracted drivers made up 8.7 percent of all roadway deaths in 2019–a total of 3,142 fatalities at the hands of cellphone use or other distractions while operating a motor vehicle.

“This represents an increase of 284 fatalities than the previous year–an increase of 9.9 percent,” Horvath explained. “This trend is unacceptable for highway safety. Although numerous factors contribute to highway crashes, driver distraction as a result of mobile devices is not accidental. Moreover, it is completely preventable.”

More Trucking Companies Focusing on Transparent Risk Management Strategies

May 18, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Risk management strategies are coming to the forefront of trucking company upgrades in this current era of technology, especially while fleets are seeing more and more of a need to protect their employees while simultaneously protecting themselves from liability–and the high costs that are involved when a truck is found to be at fault in an accident.

With a solid risk management strategy, a fleet should be able to easily mitigate all possible risks and safety breaches, including any potential crashes or unsafe circumstances where a driver would be at fault. Of course, avoiding any unsafe situations is the top priority for any fleet.

Still, driver performance perfection is impossible, as is complete prevention of any obstacles throughout an entire trucking operation. Therefore, a fully-developed and efficient risk management strategy is vital for any business in the transportation sector.

“Without a risk management program, when an event happens, you have no guidelines of what you asked the driver to do or not to do,” explained Halvor Lines’ chief risk officer, Adam Lang. “Having a risk management program sets the baseline of expectations.”

It’s much easier for a company not to lose huge amounts of money in a nuclear verdict if fleets are able to keep efficient records and safety data easily accessible and up-to-date, and these records clearly show that drivers are adequately trained and vetted, Lang noted.

Additionally, a trucking company’s risk management strategies should clearly outline all processes for proper driver on-boarding, coaching, and consequences if rules are broken. These policies should also include any road accident reports, data analysis, and comprehensive investigation information. Risk management strategies should be made transparent and explained thoroughly to all employees, and these policies should be regularly re-evaluated. According to Lang, all employees in a fleet, including management and truck drivers, should be held individually responsible for safety policy adherence.

Lang explained that Halvor has implemented heavily-structured hiring guidelines to bring on new truckers, which includes accident and safety history reports, drug and alcohol testing, and reference checks.

“We also require drivers to do a very large amount of pre-employment training,” he noted. “They need to check a lot of boxes before showing up to orientation.”

Like many aspects of driver on-boarding, risk management strategies are becoming heavily digitized within the trucking world. Now, many truck companies are able to receive real-time driver performance information using comprehensive digital driver management platforms. The data accumulated in these programs is then used to find the areas in which truck driver coaching may be necessary.

“The best risk program is preventing accidents from happening in the first place,” said Idelic CEO, Hayden Cardiff.

Idelic is a driver management software development company that allows users to implement methods of compliance, operations, safety, driver retention and driver training within one program.

With artificial intelligence programming, Idelic’s Safety Suite is able to help fleets “understand driver behavior to assign risk proactively and predictively, giving fleets understanding of why that driver is at risk, how much each event contributes to risk scores, and allows them to assign corrective action and coaching over subsequent weeks,” said Cardiff.

Driveri, a fleet safety platform from Netradyne, offers road object monitoring through artificial intelligence and on-board cameras to give insight into how a particular driver navigates various safety threats. According to Netradyne’s commercial fleet team president, Adam Kahn, safety managers can utilize this kind of technology to address risks as they take place.

For example, if a trucker is seen on his mobile phone in real time, he or she may be given helpful coaching through an audio message, Kahn explained–but positive behaviors can also be addressed, of course.

“If you’re going to coach your workforce, we take the stance of, maybe you don’t always point the finger, but you can give them a thumbs-up,” he said. “That is a really powerful thing. It is hard to replace drivers. The goal shouldn’t be ‘How do I get my worst drivers out?’ but [rather], ‘How [do I] get my fleet to act like my best drivers?”

For Lang’s company, unsafe driving behavior and violations have significantly declined since implementing these kind of technologies.

“We’ve seen a decrease in DOT recordable collisions,” he said. “We’ve seen a decrease in rear-end collisions, though part of that is implementing more collision mitigation [technology] in our trucks.”

The live driver monitoring has also helped the company “change the approach with how [we] deal with the other party [in an incident],” he added.

Fleets Work to Avoid Truck Corrosion from Road Salts

April 24, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As the winter months continue on, fleets continue the fight against corrosion and its risk to their equipment that is often caused by road de-icing products.

Although it’s important to clear roadways of snow and ice to keep drivers safe, the de-icing products used by cities across the country are typically full of chlorides, which cause dangerous and costly corrosion on trucks. Fleets are now working hard to inspect their vehicles regularly and wash salt and chemicals off of equipment as thoroughly as possible.

“Between sand, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and road salt, you could develop quite a paste, which is hard to remove and helps to keep the moisture in and cause corrosion more rapidly,” said Kenan Advantage Group’s executive vice president of fleet services, Kirk Altrichter. He noted that keeping equipment clear of de-icing chemicals is a constant maintenance issue for his company during the winter months.

Staying up-to-date on the changing methods of clearing roads of snow and ice is also vital, explained American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Council technical director, Jack Legler, who said that corrosion-reducing materials can often react in different ways to these chemicals.

“The ice-melting formulations might not change significantly, but the stuff on the truck is changing,” Legler said. “You need to be aware of the impact of what is going on there.”

The “hot zone from corrosion activity” on a truck or trailer is around 4 feet above the ground, said Atro Engineering Systems’ area sales manager, Brian Herrington. “Anything metal is going to rust, and anything rubber is going to look like it is dry rotting.”

The most susceptible areas for corrosion are places where dirt and other materials stay wet–especially within metal folds or joints, threaded screws, painted surface breaks, and areas not properly adhered beneath coatings.

“These underbody components commonly experience pitting, crevice, galvanic, and cosmetic corrosion,” said Thomas Peters, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s maintenance research and training engineer.

What can be done? Finding the right materials and equipment that will lower possibilities of corrosion–regardless of initial investment–is key, explained Herrington.

“You’re going to pay the piper at the back end or the front end,” he said. “It is a lot more expensive to pay the piper at the back end.”

Dupré Logistics out of Lafayette, Louisiana sprays all undercarriage and rails in military-grade paint.

“We put that on bumpers; [we] spray under the cab and on the frame rails,” said Allen. “That helps fight the corrosion. Any moisture can be a killer.”

Kenny Junkin, TMC’s committee on corrosion’s chairman, works for a fleet that invests in trucks that are already blasted, primed, and painted in advance to reduce corrosion.

Additionally, certain materials are on their way to becoming much more cost-effective for fleets than initially expected, Herrington explained. Polyurethane is usable wherever a vehicle has any rubber, including fifth wheels, hood rollers, engine mounts, radiator mounts, and hood latches.

“Years ago, polyurethane was too expensive to consider, but now the price has come so far down [that] the price is basically the same,” he explained.

Grand Island Express specs its trailers with a coating that aids in self-healing on the suspension, explained the company’s director of operations, Deen Albert. Albert noted that running gears, frameworks and suspensions can all rot away particularly quickly if not cared for in advance.

Kenan Advantage Group also specs its equipment, using either stainless, aluminum, or galvanized components to help its vehicles avoid corrosion that often occurs on pieces made of carbon steel. The fleet will also replace items on its vehicles that did not initially come with those kinds of components.

Regular washing is most important, though, explained Matt Bruning, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation. Bruning explained that ODOT washes its trucks frequently with a soap and water solution to minimize the effects of corrosion.

“We’ve tested a variety of anti-corrosion products, and honestly, soap and water is just as effective as anything,” he said.

“That has extended the life cycle of our trailers by about three years,” said Grand Island Express’ Albert of regular washing. Grand Island Express uses an auto-grade detergent solution for its vehicles, which go through the company’s wash bay every week.

Severe Weather Forces DOTs to Clear Roads in New Ways

April 23, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“Corrosion from road de-icers is a multi-billion-dollar issue for fleets…once it starts, it starts eating everything alive,” said Atro Engineering Systems area sales manager, Brian Herrington.

The de-icing methods involving road salts, sand, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride have been a go-to for areas experiencing the often-dangerous effects of winter weather on roads. Still, it’s well-known that these methods can cause huge corrosion issues for fleets, and now, many states across the country are aiming to solve this issue.

Corrosion inhibitors and brine technology are now making their way into the de-icing game, so that states can lessen the amount of product and chemicals needed to keep roads clear and safe.

The amount of salt utilized to clear roads has been on the incline over the last few years as more states develop more bare-road policies and as more drivers expect clear pavement–and are unable to drive otherwise. This increase in salt use has also been creating more problems for equipment and the environment as a whole, explained Phill Sexton, the CEO of WIT Advisers. WIT works with winter management and landscaping companies throughout the continent.

“We’re finding out salt is a pollutant in a major way to fresh-water resources,” Sexton explained, noting that chlorides are not biodegradable and cannot be diluted. “It is killing off aquatic ecosystems and becoming a drinking water hazard.”

To salt or not to salt is one of the trickiest decisions for Fairbanks maintenance district superintendent for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Dan Schacher, because he understands the real effects of these environmental hazards.

“It impacts people,” he said. “It impacts my budget, but there is a societal cost to a crash, and there is a really big societal cost to a fatality. If I can show we’re reducing accidents and fatalities, then I am comfortable making that decision. If you wash your equipment or use these salt-away products we use on our equipment, it will be fine.”

Road-Weather Technology, which uses automated vehicle-location equipment and mobile data decision support, has been extremely useful to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which has been utilizing this tech to be able to monitor and apply an appropriate amount of material to roads depending on current weather conditions, explained MnDOT’s maintenance research and training engineer, Thomas Peters.

Other DOTs have been focusing on updating equipment in more efficient ways to reduce the amount of salt they use, which Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute research scientist, Laura Fay, said is the case in her state. Fay is also a program manager for cold climate operations and systems and infrastructure longevity and sustainability at the school.

“A big part of this has been motivated by reduced and shrinking budgets over time,” Fay explained. “They can’t just keep buying salt because they can’t afford it, or it is [a] heavy winter and they cannot get more salt in time.”

WIT Adviser’s Sexton explained that Brine technology has been particularly helpful in lowering the amount of product needed for road clearing, as rock salt doesn’t tend to become effective for de-icing until it converts to a brine.

According to Fay, salt brine is a solution of 23.3% salt, as opposed to 100% salt, which is much more corrosive. By using liquids, only 40 gallons of salt brine are needed to de-ice one lane mile as compared to the 250 pounds of rock salt that would be needed for the same stretch of road.

Additionally, the anti-icer liquid can be laid out onto a road well in advance, which can be much more convenient for city workers, Fay noted.

“If they know a big storm is coming in, they can go out 12 hours in advance. They can treat the roads when they’re on shift and not on overtime,” she said.

Brine can also be applied where desired without any material loss, and, once activated, the brine will prevent snow or ice from bonding to pavement.

“When you go and plow, it makes plowing much easier,” added Fay.

“Why wouldn’t you do that?” asked Sexton, who noted that the amount of salt needed for his roads was reduced by at least 70% when switching to a brine method. “There are economic and environmental benefits to doing this.”

“You’re putting much less product onto the road and into the environment,” Fay agreed, also saying that long-term cost savings are more than worth the initial investment that brine-making equipment may require.

“Brine has the advantage of being cheaper and ensures the material sticks directly to the road surface,” said Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman, Matt Bruning. “Salt offers a little traction and extends the ice melting process by taking more time to go into solution.” Brine also only costs pennies per gallon to create, Bruning added.