DOT Pushes More Trucking Changes As Part of Safety Initiative

The Transportation Department’s multi-year plan to curb traffic deaths includes a number of new safety standards for the trucking industry, such as mandating the use of automatic breaking technologies.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg outlined the new initiative — the National Roadway Safety Strategy — during a presentation Jan. 27. The five-point plan is intended to combat a recent spike in traffic fatalities through a host of policy and procedural changes for drivers, for vehicles, for traffic patterns and for treating people injured in an accident.

For trucking firms, there are three major changes being pitched. First, states will begin scrutinizing commercial drivers with a history of drug or alcohol violations and will take action against any not cleared to return to the road. The goal is to fully implement an October 2021 final rule that requires state licensing agencies to check commercial drivers names against the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse’s database of violators.

The second proposal aimed at the trucking industry involves a new rule requiring heavy trucks to adopt automatic emergency braking technologies.

Lastly, the Transportation Department is considering a rule to sharpen requirements for rear impact guards on all new trailers and semi-trailers.

A Deadly Toll

Traffic fatalities have risen sharply over the past two years. According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 42,310 people died in vehicle crashes over the first 11 months of 2021; data for December was not available by press time. But even without that final month of data, 2021 fatalities were still up 9 percent over 2021’s numbers and a whopping 18 percent over 2019’s figures.

“We cannot tolerate the continuing crisis of roadway deaths in America. These deaths are preventable,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a Jan. 27 speech outlining the plan. “We will work with every level of government and industry to deliver results.”

The head of the department’s commercial division, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), also weighed in on the multi-year effort.

“FMCSA is committed to reducing commercial motor vehicle fatalities and overall fatalities,” FMCSA Executive Director and Chief Safety Officer Jack Van Steenburg said in a release touting the new proposal. “Our goal is to prevent crashes and preserve the quality of life for all roadway users across America.”