Let us never forget the carnage created by an extremist group whose goal is to kill as many Americans as possible.  The sacrifices made by all of the first responders that day was incredible to put it mildly.  All of us were affected by the events that day and especially the loved ones who lost someone special.  We can never forget.

Federal trucking regulators have announced plans to conduct a study aimed at providing a better understanding of the impact of driver detention time on driver safety and commercial motor vehicle operations.

“With an eye on a future updated driver detention study, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking industry comment on how loading and unloading delays at company docks are impacting safety and operations,” said the agency’s Aug. 24 Federal Register post.

The research study, after gaining approval of the White House Office and Management and Budget, will collect data on CMV driver detention time representative of the major segments of the motor carrier industry, analyze that data to determine the frequency and severity of detention time, and assess the utility of existing intelligent transportation systems solutions to measure detention time.

Approximately 80 carriers and 2,500 CMV drivers will be selected to provide data in the study, and the research will also inform strategies that may be used to mitigate driver detention time, FMCSA said.

Traffic fatalities declined by an estimated 3% during the first six months of 2023 while miles traveled by American motorists increased 2.3% across the same period of time, a new report found.

The National Safety Council in an Aug. 25 report said that a combination of a decrease in fatalities and an increase in mileage worked out to a mileage death rate of 1.34 people per 100 million vehicle miles, a 5.6% decrease from 1.42 people per 100 million vehicle miles in 2022.

In actual numbers, there were 21,130 traffic fatalities from the beginning of January through the end of June, down from 21,870 deaths during the first six months of 2022.

“While there is a glimmer of hope that progress is being made, these estimates are still a stark reminder of the work that lies ahead,” said Mark Chung, the group’s executive vice president of roadway practice. The group noted that the final six months of the year are historically more likely to see an increase in fatal crashes on roadways as more people are traveling.

Jim Germak has passed.  He was a fixture with PMTA at the Lancaster Chapter.  Our heart goes out to the Germak family.

PennDOT, Pennsylvania State Police, Safety Partners Urge Responsible, Designated Driving Ahead of Labor Day Holiday

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and safety partners gathered today to urge motorists to celebrate responsibly ahead of the Labor Day holiday.

"Crashes involving impaired drivers are entirely preventable," said PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary Cheryl Moon-Sirianni. "If your end-of-summer celebration includes alcohol, plan ahead for a sober driver. Make plans with a friend or use public transportation or a ride-share service, but never drive impaired."

AGENCY:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Advance notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

FMCSA is interested in developing a new methodology to determine when a motor carrier is not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in or affecting interstate commerce. FMCSA requests public comment on the need for a rulemaking to revise the regulations prescribing the safety fitness determination process; the available science or technical information to analyze regulatory alternatives for determining the safety fitness of motor carriers; feedback on the Agency's current safety fitness determination (SFD) regulations, including the process and impacts; the available data and costs for regulatory alternatives reasonably likely to be considered as part of this rulemaking; and responses to specific questions in this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM).

DATES:

Comments on this notice must be received on or before October 30, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FMCSA–2022–0003 using any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/​docket/​FMCSA-2022-0003/​document. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

• Mail: Dockets Operations, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001.

In the U.S., 6,123 vehicles and 6,722 HM packages were inspected during the five days of the HM/DG Road Blitz (2,658 non-bulk packages, 3,256 cargo tank packaging and 808 other bulk packaging). Inspectors identified 2,096 HM violations, of which 538 were out-of-service HM violations.

Inspectors also discovered eight undeclared packages. According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, each year, approximately 1,500 transportation incidents occur when undeclared hazardous materials are shipped. Hazardous materials must always be properly classified, packaged, labeled, handled and stowed for transportation. This protects workers, emergency responders and the general public from the risks associated with HM transportation.

Table 2

U.S. – HM OOS and Total Violations
Category of Violation	# of HM OOS Violations	Total # of HM Violations
Shipping Papers	106	462
Shipping Papers – Shipper Related	9	75
Non-Bulk Packaging	103	452
Non-Bulk Packaging – Shipper Related	21	100
Bulk Packaging	76	403
Bulk Packaging – Shipper Related	2	32
Non-Bulk Labeling	0	107
Non-Bulk Labeling – Shipper Related	0	10
Bulk Packaging Placarding	41	149
Bulk Packaging Placarding – Shipper Related	2	17
Other Safety Marks (as per NAS OOSC Part III Item 4, 5)	16	103
Other Safety Marks (as per NAS OOSC Part III Item 4, 5) – Shipper Related	4	20
Loading and Securement	135	135
HM Package Integrity (Leaking)	23	23
Undeclared Packages	0	8
Total	538	2,096

GiraffeG4 Systems LLC has developed a new low-clearance collision prevention product called GiraffeG4 Sentinel System.

The system provides a tracking app and patented hardware that measures the accurate heights and GPS locations of potential low-clearance hazards of any heights between 9 feet and 20 feet. That information is saved in a database. The app uses that database to give drivers a warning before they reach the low-clearance hazard.

The user app information can be integrated into the fleet telematics system a company utilizes so there is no need for the driver to interface with any phone or electronic equipment. Local companies, whose tractor trailers, work trucks and ambulances have been hitting trees, parking garages, wires, trestles, etc. can pre-measure those locations and protect their drivers and fleet.

The Sentinel System has already accurately measured and GPS located low-clearance hazards in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. That information exists in the database now. Plus, the GiraffeG4 System provides a warning at all Parkway entrances in New York State, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts where commercial vehicles are prohibited, fines are high and bridges are low.

Under the new automated enforcement program, advanced weigh-in-motion (WIM) sensors will determine the weight of a given vehicle on the city-owned portions of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) and sync with license plate cameras to issue citations to those found to be in violation of weight limits outlined in state and federal law.

The new program will kick off for Queens-bound traffic with a 90-day warning period beginning on Aug. 10, then, beginning Nov. 8, overweight trucks will be subject to a $650 fine per violation.

Infrastructure will be installed for Staten-Island bound traffic this year, with the same 90-day warning period taking place before violations are issued.

The truth is here!  Trucking  association membership indicates safety!

“All safety stakeholders in the trucking industry are looking for strategies and solutions for improving large-truck safety,” noted Dr. Brenda Lantz, Associate Director of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. “This new ATRI research confirms that association membership is another important and proven safety tool for trucking companies.”