Technology on Hot Seat at Hearing

The battle lines are being drawn for what seems likely to be heated debate this week on improving trucking safety with technology.

On one side are government agencies and safety groups that may call for rules requiring motor carriers to install new equipment on trucks.

Trucking companies, however, are concerned that being required to add equipment such as collision-warning systems, lane-tracking devices, electronic brakes and data recorders (also called black boxes) could create a situation where they are monitored by an overbearing government.

In the middle of the controversy are high-tech vendors who will try to convince government agencies of their equipment’s value in improving safety without alienating their trucking customers by calling for strict regulations.

The forum for the debate will be a hearing before the National Transportation Safety Board scheduled for Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 in Nashville, Tenn.

Steve Keppler, director of the vehicle systems department with ITS America in Washington, D.C., said it is important that all parties get involved in the process.

“A lot of people are saying that these technologies are here, and they’re not going to go away,” he said. It’s up to the trucking industry to get involved in “shaping policy so that any requirements are acceptable.”

For the full story, see the August 30 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.