Category : Truck Accidents
Truck and Bus Drivers Banned from Texting While Driving
The US Department of Transportation has announced a ban on text messaging while driving for all commercial bus and truck drivers. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the ban this week, saying that the administration wants truck and bus drivers as well as the motorists who share the highways with them, to be safe. Under the new rule, commercial truck and bus drivers caught text messaging while driving, could face civil and criminal penalties that touch up to $2,750.
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FMCSA Will Hold Public Listening Sessions on Trucker Hours in California
Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that it would revise the hours of service for truckers. The agency has now announced that it will hold four public listening sessions to gather public input on the rule. One of these sessions will be held in California.
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Truck Safety Campaign Reveals High Number of Violations by Truckers
A recent truck safety campaign in October showed the need for increased focus on safety issues for truckers. The third annual Operation Safe Driver campaign was meant to crack down on violations by commercial truckers, and was conducted between October 18th and October 24th.
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Sleep Therapy Services Provider Claims Success in Sleep Apnea Treatment
California truck accident lawyers have been very concerned about the lack of strong federal action to combat sleep apnea-related accidents. The high prevalence of sleep apnea in truckers and the increased risk of crashes because of this condition is an extremely serious issue. The FMCSA has done little to address the problem, choosing to sleep – no pun intended – over the NTSB recommendation that all truck drivers and bus drivers be screened for sleep apnea.
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Federal Task Force Pulls 77 Bus, Truck Drivers off Roads for Drug, Alcohol Violations
Last month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s drug and alcohol strike force conducted an examination of safety records of commercial motor carriers, and pulled 77 bus and truck drivers off the road after violations were found.
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NTSB Calls for Screening for Sleep Apnea for Truck, Bus Drivers
The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for commercial truck and bus drivers to be screened for a sleep disorder that is one of the contributing factors to driver fatigue-related truck accidents.
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California Highway Patrol Continues Investigation into Fatal Accident
The California Highway Patrol is continuing investigations into the fatal accident last week, involving a truck that drove the wrong way, killing a Goleta resident.
According to news reports, a white Verizon Communications truck entered highway 101 from the northbound end of the ramp and drove in the southbound direction. The resulting accident involved at least 7 vehicles, all which were damaged. Ultimately, the truck crashed into a mini van. The driver of the van Jose Raul Reyes Vega of Goleta was killed in the accident. None of the occupants of the vehicles that were damaged, suffered any injuries.
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Debate over Accident Risks of Computers in Trucking Cabs Heats Up
Earlier this year, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truckers who use onboard computers in their tractor trailers, faced a risk of being involved in an accident that was 10 times higher than truck drivers who did not use such devices. That finding has increased scrutiny on the use of these computers by truckers, and the increased risk of accidents from this.
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Concern as Trucking Industry Lobbyist Begins FMCSA Chief Confirmation Hearings
California trucking accident lawyers regularly follow legislation impacting trucking safety, and other developments that impact the safety of truckers and the motorists who share the roads with them. This week, President Barrack Obama’s nomination for head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began confirmation hearings in the Senate. What trucking accident lawyers and safety advocates have been concerned about is that nominee Anne Ferro served as a trucking industry lobbyist for the last 6 years. Ferro headed the Maryland affiliate of the trucking industry group, American Trucking Associations. She has been a major lobbyist for the trucking industry in that state.
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Semi Truck Accident Kills San Diego Resident
One person has been killed in an accident involving a tractor trailer in San Diego. The victim was driving a car alongside the large truck when the 18 wheeler overturned, crushing the car.
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