Transportation Safety


Employer policies against distracted driving will be a focal point of the Sept. 21 summit in Washington, D.C.

Two DOT Agencies Publish Texting Final Rules

Commercial motor vehicle drivers and railroad personnel are affected, with fines and suspensions possible for two or more serious violations within a three-year period by a CMV driver. A third agency, PHMSA, proposed its own texting rule Monday.

FMCSA Shifts Schedule for Calculating Driver Crash Rates

Instead of calculating them on a calendar-year basis for purposes of deciding hazardous materials safety permit eligibility, it will use a fiscal-year basis starting Oct. 1 to give motor carriers three months to preview the rates.

Truck Driver Appreciation Week Under Way

American Trucking Associations-affiliated carriers are holding events this week, presenting million-mile safety awards and bonuses. One of the big participants is Walmart, which is recognizing its more than 7,900 drivers in events this week.

HELP Member's Green Party Opponent Dies of Injuries

An SUV struck Natasha Pettigrew, 30, early Sunday morning, as she rode a bike while training for a triathlon. She died Sept. 21.

Safety Sets Sail in San Diego

Top federal safety officials will discuss the Obama administration's OSH vision and how their agencies are implementing it. Many sessions focus on driver and transportation safety.

Johan Almqvist, Volvo Trucks traffic and product safety director, is partipating in the euroFOT study.

EU Truck Safety Study Begins

Large manufacturers, including Ford, Volvo Trucks, BMW, Audi, and VW, are involved in the one-year research product.

Three X Prize Winners Eye Consumer Market

Thursday's announcement that three teams received a total of $10 million for safe, super fuel-efficient vehicles means they will try to make their designs commercially successful, according to the contest organizations.

The FAAC Subcommittee on Labor and World-class Workforce is studying commercial aviation workforce issues.

Panel Studying Needs of Aviation's Future Workforce

The Sept. 23 meeting at JFK International Airport, part of a project evaluating skills needed and the impact of DOT's Next Generation Air Transportation System, has limited space for the public.



Elderly Driver

NTSB to Host Aging Driver Safety Forum

The forum is intended to identify possible strategies to prevent accidents and reduce the number of injuries and fatalities within this growing segment of the nation's drivers.

"Fighting fatigue is the joint responsibility of the airline and the pilot, and after years of debate, the aviation community is moving forward to give pilots the tools they need to manage fatigue and fly safely," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said.

FAA Rule Offers Pilots More Rest

Released Friday, the proposed regulation would provide a nine-hour opportunity for rest prior to duty, which is one more hour than the current rules specify.

Traffic Fatalities Fall to Lowest Level Since 1950

Fatalities declined in all categories of vehicles including motorcycles, which saw fatalities fall by 850 from 2008, breaking an 11-year cycle of annual increases.

TRB Offering Rail Crossing Safety Webinar

Next week's presentation (Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. Eastern) is free to Transportation Research Board sponsors.

Planned high-speed rail lines include these in the Northeast.

New Standards for High-Speed Railcars Unveiled

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued these to set a uniform design for new passenger cars on the lines being constructed. They will meet all current safety requirements and future regulations for crash energy management.

ASSE Makes Plea for Labor Day Roadway Safety

As far as holiday weekends go, only Thanksgiving, July Fourth, and Memorial Day have more roadway fatalities—and nearly half of those are alcohol related.

AirTran Fined $500,000 for Boarding Violations, Disability Complaints

An investigation by DOT’s Aviation Enforcement Office of disability complaints filed with AirTran and DOT revealed a number of violations of the requirement for boarding assistance. In addition, the carrier’s complaint files showed that it frequently did not provide an adequate written response to complaints from passengers.

We Can't Quit

It appears we simply won't give up our phones.

TSA Tweaking Hazmat Endorsement Application Form

Collecting optional additional information, including U.S. passport numbers, will help state programs forecast driver retention, transfer rates, and drop rates, the agency predicts.

"We are under CSA right now and have been for the past two years," said Don Osterberg, Schneider National Inc. senior vice president of safety, driver training, and security.

The CSA 2010 Rollout

Motor carriers are coming to grips with the new federal safety measurement system. They've seen several changes in it already.

Amtrak Employee Awarded $160K in 'Historic' FRSA Case

An investigation found that the company terminated one of its cleaning crew employees after she reported to her manager that she had sprained her ankle while at work. The lawsuit became the first case to be tried under a 2007 amendment to the Federal Railroad Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. Section 20109.

FMCSA asked about challenges motor carriers have in interacting with FMCSA that prevent them from conducting business effectively.

FMCSA Seeks Planning Help with Injury Reduction in Mind

Three public listening sessions on Sept. 8 will help the agency hear from stakeholders, who have a chance to influence the agency's next five-year Strategic Plan.

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