Who is going to stop speeding semi-trucks in Louisiana?

In a statement issued earlier this month, Road Safe America (RSA) announced that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, filed a Grant Decision on a petition to require speed limiting devices to be set on all heavy commercial vehicles at 68 miles per hour.

This is good news for all of us in Louisiana who are very uncomfortable with the risks associated with large trucks on the road. Every month in the United States, accidents between large trucks and passenger cars kill the equivalent number of people of two commercial airliners crashing with no survivors.

The RSA had filed their petition back in 2006, together with the American Trucking Association and numerous large trucking companies, and is very pleased that the present administration has allowed it to move forward. A few comments allow us to better understand the background of the proposed regulation:

• Electronic on-board speed governors are standard equipment on all tractor-trailer trucks since 1992, but only some of them are activated and no mandatory limit has been set;
• Japan, Australia, parts of Canada (the more heavily populated provinces) and the European Union all have truck crash related fatalities lower than ours. They also have mandatory speed controls set at between 55 and 65 mph;
• An 18-wheeler can come to a standstill over a distance at least 20% longer than a passenger car. At least, because the brake system of a truck only works well when all tires are in good shape, all brakes are properly balanced and well maintained and the truck’s cargo is well distributed. In most cases, one or more of these conditions are missing and the truck’s distance to stop can be double the distance of a car.

The RSA has also devoted a lot of energy to convincing lawmakers and leading trucking industry personalities that the pay-by-the-mile formula is a dangerous incentive for truck drivers to drive long and fast. “Truckers deserve a professional pay system for the hard and crucial job they do. We want them to get paid for all of their working hours, whether the truck is moving or not.” declared Tom Hodgson, RSA’s Executive Director. This is the only way for truck drivers to be truly concerned about safety.

If you have been hurt in a Louisiana truck accident, contact immediately the truck accident attorneys of the Young Firm in New Orleans for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.