Posts Tagged ‘crash’

Out-of-Control Truck Driver Strikes Three Vehicles, Smashes into Two Homes…Who’s Handling Your Freight?

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

The sound of a tractor trailer crashing into multiple vehicles and houses would bring anyone running to their doors to find out what happened.

accident

Image provided by wtae.com

As was the case Monday afternoon when a tractor trailer overturned in Springfield Pike, PA, skidding nearly 50 feet before causing some serious damage.

According to state police, the driver (identified as 44-year-old Rodney Crow of Kentucky) was speeding when he failed to make the curve, losing control and crashing into a telephone pole, three parked cars, two homes, and another telephone pole (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/s_771926.html).

Crow was able to be pulled from the tractor within 20 minutes and was transported to the hospital where he is doing fine.

accident

Image provided by wtae.com

Fortunately, the family of one of the houses that was struck was not home at the time of the accident.  The other house, occupying a family of five, resulted in no injuries.

As Carissas Gettemy, their neighbor, stated, “They were all in the living room. The dad pushed them all away because the truck was coming toward the house. But, since the red car was in the way, it got pushed into the house” (http://www.wpxi.com/news/29980091/detail.html).

But the accident came as no surprise as neighbors indicated trucks traveling at high speeds all the time down the hill, with one driver being killed in the same spot five years ago and both houses being struck in the past.

Although a runaway truck ramp is in consideration, currently being detained due to the area occupying the endangered Indiana bat, neighbors state that they would still feel unsafe, with some in the process of/thinking of moving.

It took several hours for power to be restored with the road being reopened Tuesday morning.

Crow, who was transporting a load of finished wood at the time, is being cited for multiple violations, including speeding.  Although no one was injured, imagine if Crow was transporting a load of hazardous materials instead of wood products and the havoc that could have resulted.

Now imagine it being your product on board and your choice to contract the carrier.  That’s often the case when shipping via a third-party in which you do not know who is handling your freight.  That’s why you should always trust your freight in the hands of a reputable carrier.

Road Scholar Transport is an asset-based carrier maintaining an excellent safety record.  With a 0.0003% damage claims record, we take measures to ensure that only the most qualified drivers and safest equipment are transporting your freight.

Visit www.roadscholar.com to learn more about Road Scholar’s qualifications and services.

List your comments regarding the accident below.

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Amtrak Files Suit Against John Davis Trucking, Claiming Driver was ‘Incompetent and Unqualified’

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

Wednesday, Amtrak filed a suit against the trucking company responsible for causing an accident last week resulting in six fatalities.

Amtrak

The accident occurred when John Davis Trucking Company plowed through the railroad crossings in Nevada, striking two of ten Amtrak railcars headed for California, causing it to catch fire.

Now, days after the crash, Amtrak is stepping in, suing the trucking company for negligence which resulted in over $10 million worth the damages (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/amtrak-sues-trucking-company-over-fatal-northern-n/).

According to The Las Vegas Sun, Amtrak is arguing that John Davis Trucking “negligently entrusted the Peterbilt tractor-trailer rig to driver Lawrence Ruben Valli II,” who they “should have known was ‘incompetent and unqualified’ to operate the truck and that the company negligently hired him and then failed to properly train him.”

Since we last updated you earlier in the week in our post “Trucking Company’s Safety Record Questioned after Amtrak Accident,” new charges against the trucking company and driver have been discovered.  These include an additional two speeding violations, but since Valli’s several tickets were distributed at various time frames, it did not cause him to lose his license.

As USA Today notes, “Under Nevada law, a driver will lose a commercial license for 60 days if he or she commits “two serious violations” within a three-year period. A “serious-violation” is defined as traveling 15 mph above the speed limit or higher.  A driver’s commercial license will be taken for 120 days if he or she is issued three serious traffic violations in a three-year period” (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-06-29-amtrak-truck-driver-had-traffic-violations_n.htm).

Valli

The Associated Press also acknowledges the fact that Valli was arrested in 2007 for failure to appear from a charge in 2006 of operating a vehicle with an expired registration.

There is no word as of yet from John Davis Trucking regarding the lawsuit and a Washoe County District judge has already ruled that any evidence from the crash be immune from being destroyed (http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_18377167).

One driver, one truck, six fatalities.  Road Scholar Transport can assure you that all of our drivers are properly trained and qualified, putting only the safest drivers on the road to deliver your LTL and truckload freight.  If that’s not enough, our trucks are equipped with anti-crash safety technology along with security features including driver verification via our website at www.roadscholar.com.

What is your opinion regarding the Amtrak accident and what do you feel should be the verdict?

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Research Finds Flaws in FMCSA Hours of Service Studies

Monday, June 13th, 2011

There is yet another dispute in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s revised hours of service (HOS) proposal.

FMCSA

The deadline for a final HOS rule is set for October 28th, after pushing the July 26th date back, allowing for a comment period after the FMCSA submitted four studies believed to show the correlation between driving time and accident/risk.

But according to further research investigating the studies, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and The National Industrial Traffic League are arguing that the cases are inaccurate, and therefore, do not support the FMCSA’s proposal.

With the comment period ending last Thursday, Ronald Knipling, who has written a book on truck safety based upon his 30 years of experience and who has received the International Road Transport Union (IRU) Order of Merit last December, submitted several papers rejecting the validity of the studies.

In regards to the FMCSA’s study conducted by researchers at Penn State University, Knipling found that “the sample of drivers, trucks and crashes, as well as minimal attention paid to other factors in crashes, rendered the study of little value” and a replication study was necessary to replace implication with verification (http://www.truckersnews.com/researcher-rejects-hours-studies/?pg=1).

Next, Knipling looked into the study by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and found that it too, needed more analysis in order to validate its assumptions that “increased crash risk over a 14-hour duty period or after a rest period is a matter of driver fatigue” (http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=73934).

Another study that was taken on Florida transit bus drivers, was found by Knipling to hold “significant differences between Florida’s transit bus operator work rules and those for interstate truck drivers rendering schedule-related research findings for one largely inapplicable to the other,” an article in Trucker’s News states.

Not only did Knipling analyze the FMCSA’s submitted studies, but did his own research as well, finding that “fatigue related only to driving and work schedules” were not directly linked to single vehicle truck crashes, truckernews.com explains, there were other factors involved such as time of day.

The ATA believes that Knipling’s findings further support the argument that the presented studies were not supportive enough to make changes and that the FMCMSA should keep the current HOS.

As ATA President Bill Graves states, “We have said from the beginning that changes to the rule must be made based on sound science and hard evidence, not political motivations.”

Do you feel that the FMCSA has enough evidence to put their revised hours of service into effect?

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Have You Seen Your Carrier’s Safety Record?

Monday, June 6th, 2011
chemical spill

chemical spill

Every time you ship a product, your reputation and brand equity is at risk.  Food/beverage, pharmaceutical, and chemical companies face consumer health concerns each time their freight is placed within a trailer.  Hazardous spills can result in the release of toxic chemicals into the air as well as onto the ground, posing a risk for those who inhale the compounds.  Food and pharmaceutical companies face improper transportation conditions necessary for the products to remain fresh up until delivery as well as the reselling of their products after a theft.  In these cases, products face contamination issues and pose harmful risks to consumers who unknowingly ingest these products.

When tainted products hit the markets, whether through theft or failure to be alerted of transportation conditions, the FDA and manufacturers are prompted to issue recalls/health alerts, advertising the company’s brand name with a series of reported cases of salmonella, among other concerns.  Years of building up a reliable and trustworthy reputation can be destroyed with a single delivery.

In many cases, accidents/thefts are the result of inadequate carriers, demonstrating the importance of reviewing a trucking company’s record before placing your freight in their hands.  When trusting a 3rd party to find you the cheapest rate, you are taking the chance of shipping with some unknown carrier who may be on an alert status in one or more of the CSA’s BASIC categories.  This not only puts your freight at risk, but poses a danger to everyone else on the road.  Do you want your freight onboard a carrier that just caused a major accident due to improperly maintained equipment or reckless driving?

The CSA 2010’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) scores a carrier and driver’s safety performance in seven BASIC categories, placing those who pose as a risk on “alert” status.  Ranking from 0-100 (100 being the worst), the CSA 2010 has changed the scoring of deficiency from 75 and above to a lower number based on whether the carrier is a passenger, Hazmat Certified, or Other-which includes most trucking carriers.  Scoring reflects a carrier’s BASIC scores compared to other carriers in their group.  The categories are as follows (provided by http://www.carrier411.com/csa2010.cfm):

-Unsafe Driving:  This category includes reckless driving, inattentiveness, speeding, failure to use a seatbelt, among others.  To be placed on an “alert” status, a carrier must receive a score of ≥50 (passenger), ≥60 (HazMat), or ≥65 (Other).

Road Scholar Transport, a HazMat certified asset-based carrier, received a very low score of 9.3% in this category due to its safe drivers.  (If you’re a qualified driver, Road Scholar wants to hear from you.  Apply today at http://www.roadscholar.com/employment.php).

-Fatigued Driving (Hours of Service):  This category includes violations against the current HOS rules such as surpassing the 11-hour allowed driving time, log violations, and driving after being placed out-of-service, among others.  To be placed on an “alert” status, a carrier must receive a score of ≥50 (passenger), ≥60 (HazMat), or ≥65 (Other).

Road Scholar, once again, scored lower than the 60% category with 49.2%.

-Driver Fitness:  This category includes those drivers who are unqualified, does not meet medical qualifications, and improper endorsements on CDL, among others.  To be placed on an “alert” status, a carrier must receive a score of ≥65 (passenger), ≥75 (HazMat), or ≥80 (Other).

Road Scholar’s drivers are continuously being educated to ensure their competence and your safety on the road, receiving an inconclusive score in this category.

-Controlled Substances/Alcohol:  This category includes those drivers who are under the influence or in possession of drugs and alcohol.  To be placed on an “alert” status, a carrier must receive a score of ≥65 (passenger), ≥75 (HazMat), or ≥80 (Other).

In this category, Road Scholar received NO violations due to responsible drivers and routine drug tests.  You can’t get better than that.

-Vehicle Maintenance:  This category includes improper truck maintenance (Defective lights, windshield wipers, and brakes, flat tires, etc.).  To be placed on an “alert” status, a carrier must receive a score of ≥65 (passenger), ≥75 (HazMat), or ≥80 (Other).

maintenance staff

With an “alert” status being 75% or greater, Road Scholar scored in at 36.5%.   This score reflects daily maintenance procedures, newer equipment models, and pre/post-trip inspections conducted by Road Scholar staff.

The final two BASIC categories (Cargo-Related and Crash-Indicator) are not available to the public.

So the next time you ship a product, think about your company’s reputation before you put your freight onboard an unknown carrier and go to www.roadscholar.com to get your LTL and truckload rate.

Would you ship with a company who has a series of alerts out on them?

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Who’s at Fault? FMCSA Contemplates Use of DataQ to Determine Accountability During an Accident

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Debate over the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s idea of using the DataQ system to record who is at fault during an accident has stirred a differential of opinions at a recent forum held by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

FMCSA

In a question and answer session, the FMCSA announced the possibility of using the current DataQ system, “which carriers use now to correct mistakes that have gotten into their CSA scores” to record police reports stating who is at fault in an accident (http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=73760).

According to an article in truckinginfo.com, the FMCSA is looking into recording all accidents (“unless a carrier files an accident report through DataQs”) and eventually hire a contractor who will then determine if the carrier is at fault prior to it being entered.

The FMCSA’s consideration has formed a mixture of opinions.

On one side is support of the idea with the belief that it will promote safety and CSA performance by stating if the carrier was responsible for an accident instead of just that a crash had occurred, as well as details about whether the accident could have been prevented, one reason why the American Trucking Association (ATA) favors the idea of hiring a contractor.

On the other side, the ATA, and others, have concerns.

ATA Vice President of Safety Policy Rob Abbott notes, “The approach would put the onus on the carrier to initiate the process and under the CSA system, which measures one carrier’s performance against its peers, it’s important that the database include all crashes and not just those that carriers elect to challenge,” (http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=73760).

Another opinion, given by a member of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, warns that even if the organization hired a contractor to review police reports, the level of knowledge each police officer has in investigating trucking accidents varies, the site explains.

The NTSB, however, is experienced in investigating these types of crashes and aim to discover preventative means.

A Safe Carrier

A Safe Carrier

Road Scholar Transport knows safety.  That’s why we have never been cited for a piece of faulty equipment in an accident due to daily maintenance, newer equipment, and a knowledgeable/experienced team.

Check out our DOT Motor Carrier Safety Certificate at www.roadscholar.com and jump onboard a safe carrier today.

Do you think the FMCSA should use the DataQ system to record accident accountability?

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Mandatory Alcohol Testing Pays Off. Do You Value Your Freight?

Monday, March 7th, 2011

You may remember the disapproval and privacy issues behind the Federal Drunk DrivingMotor Carrier Safety Administration’s 1995 policy calling for the mandatory alcohol testing of commercial truck drivers.

According to the policy, a driver is not allowed to consume alcohol four hours prior to being on duty.   A driver who has a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.02-0.03% is to be removed from the job for a full 24 hours, while those having a BAC of 0.04% and above face immediate suspension.

With 0.04% being half the BAC that passenger vehicle drivers are allowed, along with privacy concerns and whether or not the policy would, in fact, reduce the number of accidents, there has been much debate and opposition that the policy is too strict.  That is until now.

Researchers from Columbia University conducted a study, analyzing the number of alcohol related accidents before and after the policy took effect.  Analyzing data from the years 1982 to 2006, researchers found a significant decrease in the number of fatal accidents involving CDL drivers.

According to their results, researchers found that out of 66,000 fatal multi-vehicle accidents within the 24 year span, there was a greater number of alcohol related incidents within the passenger vehicles (weighing in at 19.4% of those passenger vehicles involved in a crash) than commercial carrier drivers (averaging 2.7%) (http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=646264&Itemid=29).

In other words, the number of accidents caused by commercial vehicle drivers who were under the influence of alcohol decreased by 23 percent after the policy had taken place, usa.net notes.

These statistics are of importance to everyone as they affect people everywhere; whether you are a shipper, carrier, or just an everyday citizen taking a cruise throughout the countryside.

When there is a drunk driver behind the wheel, it can result in injuries/death of innocent bystanders, leading to medical costs, pain and suffering…the list goes on.

Now imagine that you are a shipper/manufacturer whose freight was inside that trailer, being transported by a driver under the influence of alcohol.  An accident involving a shipment of hazardous chemicals, products that should be handled by Hazmat certified drivers such as Road Scholar Transport, can result in fire, explosions, and spills, releasing toxic chemicals that can cause serious health effects when inhaled by passerbys.

Road Scholar Transport provides LTL and TL vans along with temperature regulated trailers containing top-of-the-line security measures to keep your food and pharmaceuticals safe, but are other companies taking the same care of your freight?

In the event of an accident, the reefer/freezer door of the trailer can open or become damaged, spoiling your products.  Not only that, but packages can burst open and jars can break, tainting food and making it unusable.  Imagine if your food and pharmaceuticals were tampered with during transport and then ingested by thousands of people.

What are the problems that you would face if your freight was involved in an accident?

Road Scholar Transport

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Are You Hazmat Certified?

Friday, September 10th, 2010

According to an article posted by Ralph Craft on fmcas’ website, over 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials (also known as hazmat), are shipped every day (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/analysis/fmcsa-ri-04-024.htm).

With such a large number of dangerous materials being transported daily, it is important to find the right carrier to transport your freight.  That’s where Road Scholar Transport comes in.  We have hazmat certified drivers who have undergone emergency response procedure training to make sure that your freight is safe and to know exactly what to do if something happens.  And when your hazardous freight is safe, so are the people around you.

So how dangerous is transporting hazmat materials?  According to the site, “About 200 hazmat trucks a year are involved in fatal crashes and 5,000 in nonfatal.”  Lucky for people shipping with Road Scholar Transport that we have a 0.0001% damage rate, as reported by last year’s statistics.

To view the 2010 DOT Hazmat Authority and Alliance Hazmat Credentials, visit http://www.roadscholar.com/doclibrary.html.

Road Scholar Transport

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As 9/11 Approaches, Pennsylvania and Road Scholar Transport Remember Flight 93

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

America is only a few days away from September 11th, a day which people hold dear to their hearts and will never forget.  It has been nine years since we crowded around televisions and radios, yet we can still remember exactly where we were at that precise time like it was yesterday.  Americans did not need newscasters to report the tragedy that was occurring in people’s lives that day.

Although we would like to forget the events and what we saw that morning, we long to hold the lives of those lost in our hearts forever, lives that cannot and should not be forgotten.

That’s why on 9/11 this year from 9:30-11:00 a.m., a commemorative service for Flight 93 will be conducted near Shanksville, PA, according to www.nps.gov.  Like in previous years, the site notes that the names of those who died will be read and the Bells of Remembrance will be run at 10:03 a.m., the time the plane crashed.  Those who want to attend are told to arrive before 8 a.m., and this year, First Lady Michelle Obama and Former First Lady Laura W. Bush will speak (http://www.nps.gov/flni/).

United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Stonycreek Township, PA, when passengers took it upon themselves to try to regain control of the plane from terrorists, saving the Capitol building, the terrorist’s intended target, from destruction.

Forty innocent lives were lost that day.  Each of those individual’s names are displayed on Road Scholar’s Flight 93 Memorial Fund trailer, traveling nationwide to memorialize those passengers and to spread awareness of the 93 Cents for Flight 93 fund.

The Flight 93 Memorial trailer is just one of Road Scholar’s awareness trucks that are part of our 10 Million Miles to a Cure Awareness Campaign.  To learn more about this campaign, visit www.roadscholar.com/awareness.

Flight 93 Trailer

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