Safety

About Safety News...

Transportation businesses face a host of dynamic risk issues that can significantly impact their financial and operational health. The news in this category focuses on the latest safety and security initiatives, resources and regulations and addresses topics that include fleet safety, claims administration, driver hiring and retention, risk management and compliance.

Government, Safety

FMCSA Seeking Comment on Medical Review Board's Diabetes Recommendations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking public comment on a slate of guidelines recommended by the agency’s medical experts for drivers with diabetes to operate commercial motor vehicles.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
September 8, 2016

Daily Briefings from Transport Topics

Transport Topics has partnered with Spoken Layer to make one-minute daily briefings available on all your smart devices. Simply say “Alexa, play Transport Topics” or “Okay Google, talk to Transport Topics” to get the day’s biggest trucking headlines.

Business, Safety, Government, Fuel, Technology, Autonomous

DTNA’s Daum Cautious on Speed Limiters, Autonomous Expectations

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The growing importance of fleets being able to regulate the speed of individual trucks through remote, over-the-air engine updates should be taken into account as the federal government considers a mandate requiring heavy-duty vehicles to utilize speed limiters, the president of Daimler Trucks North America said.

Neil Abt | Editorial Director
September 6, 2016
Perspective, Business, Government, Equipment, Safety, Logistics, Autonomous

Opinion: Jake Brakes Keep Drivers Safe on Steep Roads

You can’t work in the trucking industry for long without realizing the interconnectedness of the trucking world — goods with communities, roads with ports, airports and railways, regulations across international and provincial borders and municipal boundaries, you name it. Another connection may not be immediately apparent: Canada’s National Trucking Week and “Jake” brakes.

September 5, 2016
Editorial, Business, Safety, Government

Editorial: A Welcome Proposal

After 10 years of deliberation, two agencies of the Department of Transportation have finally published a proposal that would limit the maximum speed of the largest commercial vehicles to a rate yet to be determined.

September 5, 2016
Business, Safety, Autonomous

Large TL Churn at 5-Year Low in Sluggish Market, ATA Says

Driver turnover fell 4 percentage points year-over-year for larger truckload fleets to 83% in the second quarter, dropping to the lowest level since 2011 amid a sluggish freight market, American Trucking Associations reported last week.

Rip Watson and Ari Ashe | Staff Reporters
September 5, 2016
Business, Government, Safety, Fuel, Autonomous

Natural-Gas Advocates Claim Victories in Phase 2 GHG Emissions Regulation

The Phase 2 greenhouse-gas emissions final rule gave natural-gas advocates victories in how the alternative fuel is handled and how emissions of methane are regulated, they said, even as the rule forecast little chance of natural gas becoming a major fuel source for heavy-duty trucks in the next decade.

Roger Gilroy | Senior Reporter
September 5, 2016
Business, Safety, Government, Autonomous

Truck-Involved Crash Deaths Rise; Highest Total Since ’08, DOT Says

Fatalities in crashes involving large trucks rose 4.1% from 2014 to 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported Aug. 29.

David Elfin and Eric Miller | Staff Reporters
September 5, 2016
Business, Government, Safety, Autonomous

Regulations, Business Trends Put Pressure on Private Fleets

Operators of corporate-owned truck fleets are facing pressure to keep up with a growing number of regulations while also dealing with legal and business issues that go well beyond the traditional realm of equipment maintenance and driver management.

Daniel P. Bearth | Staff Writer
August 29, 2016
Perspective, Business, Government, Safety

Opinion: SOLAS Container Weight Rule Reaches Critical Milestones

Approximately 10% of ocean cargo may cite an inaccurate weight, according to Loadstar. In 2015, an estimated 16.3 million out of 200.5 million TEUs, or industry- standard 20-foot-equivalent container units, of cargo were shipped without an accurate measurement, which speaks to an industrywide problem.

August 29, 2016
Business, Safety

Fleets See Return on Investment in Safety, Training

Private carriers are adding to their safety efforts by spending more on training, upgrading equipment and taking steps to recognize their best-performing drivers.

Daniel P. Bearth | Staff Writer
August 29, 2016