Small trucking companies holding out on important safety tool

Trucking is an extremely important part of our economy and there are a number of trucking companies in Pittsburgh. Without trucking, many of us may not be able to get the products we use in our daily life. At the same time, the trucking industry can be extremely dangerous and could put many people on the road at risk. The amount of danger a fully loaded semitrailer truck can cause against a car is enough to justify serious federal regulations.

One of the more recent proposed regulations that the federal government has issued is to include devices that would record how long a vehicle has been in use. The idea is that with a device that will provide clear and hopefully untampered evidence of how long a truck has been in use will help to cut down on dangerous trucker fatigue.

Just like anyone else on the road, falling asleep at the wheel of a truck is incredibly dangerous. Not only could a trucker injure him- or herself, but he or she could also cause a serious accident. Even though the number of hours a trucker can work is regulated, there are a number of companies who put a lot of pressure on their drivers to go faster, drive longer and sometimes go over their hours limit. If they are using an easily changed paper log, there may be less threat of getting caught. If it is recorded on an electronic device, however, it is harder to get away with forging hours.

Fortunately, many of the major trucking companies already use this kind of technology. Unfortunately, however, there are a number of smaller trucking companies who don’t want to incorporate this kind of technology into their fleets. If it is mandated by the federal government, they won’t have a choice.

Source: The Associated Press, “Devices to track truck, bus driver hours proposed,” Joan Lowy, March 13, 2014