Fresh Attack on Trucking Accidents

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 16, 2007 – According to an Oct. 14, 2007 Associated Press article by Noaki Schwartz, a truck driving incident on a central highway in a tunnel in Santa Clarita, California resulted in a burning 5 truck pileup, killing two and wounding ten.  What was the cause of this fatal trucking accident? Swartz states, “…two big rigs collided on the rain-slick highway…” Swartz reports chillingly, “As the fire spread, flames shot out of both ends of the tunnel, rising as high as 100 feet…”

Could the crashes in Santa Clarita have been prevented? In a question so very pertinent to the frequent travelers on today’s fast-paced U.S. Highways; what is being done to help keep truck driving safe? The answer to this question comes in the form of two very different approaches to the same goal. One is offered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, (FMCSA) funded by the Department of Transportation. The other is offered by truck driving schools.

A quick look at the statistics. According to the FMCSA report entitled, “Large Truck Crash Facts 2005,” there were 4,533 fatal crashes of that year (1 percent of 423,000 truck-related police reported crashes) and 78,000 injury crashes, (18% of the same police reported crashes). One can’t help wondering how many could have been prevented.

The newest plan released by the FMCSA is the CSA 2010.  The CSA 2010, standing for Comprehensive Safety Analysis, is an operational test model working to establish a series of interventions aimed at making truck driving safer. CSA 2010 contains four main interventions. The first is a measurement system used to identify individual truck driving safety issues like driver fatigue and unsafe driving.  The second is a stepped intervention plan to assure compliance to the safety measurements. The next are safety evaluations, to be tied to the current compliance review. The last is a program called COMPASS, involved in leveraging current technology to aid in the goal of truck safety.

Truck driving schools, on the other hand, attack potential problems at the inception, when truck drivers are first learning the ropes on how to drive a truck. One truck driving school resolute about teaching safety to its truck driving school students is Roadmaster Drivers School.

Roadmaster Drivers School’s curriculum emphasizes safe driving techniques with a cornucopia of important trucking topics. Of the trucking safety items taught are brake safety, handling of combination vehicles, Hazmat information, vehicle inspections, pre-trip safety inspections, tires, electrical systems, steering and much more. According to Marketing Director Holli Kliethermes, “Roadmaster Drivers School is adamant when it comes to safety in our truck driving schools. Whether it be teaching safety in the classroom or during hands-on instruction in the truck, safety is a top priority for our staff and students.”

When a vital issue like truck driving safety is approached with important entities like truck driving schools such as Roadmaster Drivers Schools as well as truck driving programs like the FSCMA; crashes like those of Santa Clarita may be prevented, making the roads a safer place for us all.

ABOUT FMSCA – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is headquartered in Washington DC and is a separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Their prime mission is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. Their website can be found at:  www.fmcsa.dot.gov

ABOUT ROADMASTER - Roadmaster Drivers Schools is a 3-week long truck driver training school with sites located in: Dunn, North Carolina, Indianapolis, Indiana, Columbus, Ohio, Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando, Florida, West Memphis, Arkansas, San Antonio, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit www.Roadmaster.com for more info.