Safety
A Year of Pandemic: Number of Roadside Inspections Fell
Driver with mask by andresr/Getty Images (clockwise from top left); vaccine vial by Liam McBurney/Pool via AP; COVID-19 virus by Getty Images; UPS truck carrying vaccine at Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo by Morry Gash/Pool/Associated Press
“It was definitely a strange year for inspectors,” said Kerri Wirachowsky, director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s roadside inspection program. “In the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of agencies just stopped doing inspections completely, only stopping vehicles if they saw an imminent issue,” she said.
March 22, 2021A Year of Pandemic: ATA President Spear Lauds Drivers as ‘Soldiers on the Front Lines’
Driver with mask by andresr/Getty Images (clockwise from top left); vaccine vial by Liam McBurney/Pool via AP; COVID-19 virus by Getty Images; UPS truck carrying vaccine at Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo by Morry Gash/Pool/Associated Press
American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear acknowledged the adversity the industry faced during the historic year.
March 22, 2021A Year of Pandemic: Ports Battled COVID in 2020, and now Freight Crunch in 2021
Driver with mask by andresr/Getty Images (clockwise from top left); vaccine vial by Liam McBurney/Pool via AP; COVID-19 virus by Getty Images; UPS truck carrying vaccine at Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo by Morry Gash/Pool/Associated Press
American Association of Port Authorities CEO Chris Connor told Transport Topics the biggest takeaway from the coronavirus pandemic is the essential nature of ports.
March 22, 2021A Year of Pandemic: Technology Key to States' Response
Driver with mask by andresr/Getty Images (clockwise from top left); vaccine vial by Liam McBurney/Pool via AP; COVID-19 virus by Getty Images; UPS truck carrying vaccine at Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo by Morry Gash/Pool/Associated Press
Victoria Sheehan, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said technology made an important difference in state transportation departments’ pandemic operations.
March 22, 2021New Jersey DOT Announces $30.1 Million for Local Freight Improvements
Gov. Phil Murphy speaks at a press conference pre-pandemic. (Seth Wenig/Associated Press)
The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced $30.1 million has been awarded to counties and municipalities for projects meant to facilitate the safe movement of heavy truck traffic.
March 19, 2021FMCSA Begins Large-Truck Crash Causal Factors Study
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Federal trucking regulators are progressing on plans for a $30 million Large-Truck Crash Causal Factors study intended to gather new critical information and data in an effort to reduce crashes nationwide.
March 18, 2021Wisconsin DOT Issues Funds to Support County Forest Roads
A county forest road in Douglas County. (Wisconsin Department of Transportation)
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation recently distributed funds to improve public roads that run through county forests.
March 16, 2021NHTSA to Investigate Tesla Crash With Tractor-Trailer
Angel Garcia/Bloomberg News
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s highway safety agency is sending a team to Detroit to investigate a crash involving a Tesla that drove beneath a semitrailer.
March 16, 2021Senators Introduce Trucking Workforce Legislation
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Legislation aimed at training drivers younger than 21 to drive trucks across state lines was recently unveiled by a group of senators.
March 15, 2021Carriers Use Pre-Planning to Help Drivers Secure Truck Parking
Trucks parked at a truck stop. (Peggy Smith/Transport Topics)
Trucking companies are addressing the parking shortage in multiple ways, including advance planning, using technology to access real-time information on parking availability, or even embracing paid reservations for parking spaces or hotel rooms to make it easier for drivers to shut down for the night.
March 15, 2021