Would someone associated with the trucking idustry please respond.

[CCTAU 3,350]

Are activists making an apples and oranges comparison?

Activists push for truck safety rules By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writer

1 hour, 29 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Wyoming and Arkansas are the deadliest states for truck crashes, according to a safety group that called Monday for tougher federal regulation to reduce fatalities hovering above 100 a week nationwide for years.

The safest states for truck crashes were Rhode Island and Massachusetts, based on the number of fatalities per 100,000 residents during 2005, the most recent year with complete figures.

Seven years since its creation by Congress to improve the safety of trucks, the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration "is still putting cargo over people," said Joan Claybrook, chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways. "This federal agency has failed miserably."

In 1999, when the agency was created, 5,380 people died in crashes with big trucks, Claybrook told a news conference by the Truck Safety Coalition. "That figure has barely budged." It was 5,212 in 2005.

The agency's spokesman, Ian M. Grossman, was not immediately available to respond to the criticism.

Speakers at the event called on the agency to reduce the hours that truckers are allowed to drive without rest, increase safety inspections of big trucks, require on-board electronic monitors to ensure compliance with hours-of-service rules, and train drivers better.

The group said that in 2005 Wyoming had 6.09 deaths in big truck crashes per 100,000 residents, followed by Arkansas at 4.17, Oklahoma at 3.41, New Mexico at 3.27, Mississippi at 3.12, and West Virginia at 3.03.

The safest state, Rhode Island, had 0.09 fatalities per 100,000 residents, followed by Massachusetts at 0.38, Connecticut at 0.48, District of Columbia at 0.54, Hawaii at 0.71, Alaska at 0.75, New York at 0.76, New Hampshire at 0.84 and Delaware at 0.95.

The largest increases in truck fatality rates between 2004 and 2005 came in Oklahoma, South Carolina and Louisiana. The greatest drops were in Alabama, Indiana and South Dakota.

"We spend millions of dollars on food safety. Nearly 61 people die from E.coli (infections) each year, which is equivalent to the four-day death toll from truck crashes," said Jacqueline Gillan, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. "Anytime there is an E.coli outbreak, the federal government uses every resource available to stop this public health threat. Yet, unsafe big rigs kill and maim tens of thousands each year because truckers are pushed to drive long hours under unsafe conditions while the federal response has been silence and indifference."

Gillan and Claybrook criticized the motor carrier administration for increasing the number of hours a driver can operate a truck by 28 percent since 2003, up to as much as 88 hours over an eight-day tour of duty.

[DKW 86 7,441]

Get me a link and I will get it to my friend and let him comment. The state of Alabama has a very strictly enforced speed limit with truckers these days, according to Scott.

[TitanTiger 20,511]

I wonder if these numbers take into account the total number of miles of highway per state. Out of the ten states mentioned, all but NY and Alaska are relatively small and Alaska is very sparsely populated even though it's large. Seems to me that if you are relatively small, and thus trucks are not in your state that long to begin with, you should have fewer fatalities per capita.

[Captain Liger 0]

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the Union. I'd venture to say that has something to do with it.

My dad is a trucker for Wal-Mart out of the Cullman distribution center and they are extremely strict and by the book when it comes to their fleet of vehicles and drivers. My dad cannot drive more than a certain number of hours a day without rest. I don't recall exactly how many hours it is but I think it's around 8 or 10. All the trucks have onboard computers hooked to a satellite and there's absolutely nothing that the drivers can get away with. It tracks not only where they are currently at but how long the rig has been running, average speed, average RPMs, route taken, etc, etc. It's the ultimate form of Big Brother. All the trucks have engine governors and 65mph is the fastest any Wal-Mart rig can go so when the needle goes over 65 the transmission disengages and the truck literally coasts until it hits 60 and the transmission engages again. So the next time you're wishing that Wal-Mart in front of you would speed up, know that he's got that thing maxed out.

This isn't the case for all trucking companies. The smaller, more independent trucking companies are less strict and for the most part its drivers will go as fast and as long as they can before passing out. Dangerous? Yes. But it's all about money. The farther they go and the faster they get there all equates to cash based on what they get paid per mile. But for all the haters out there of everything Wal-Mart you can stick another thorn in your side by knowing that they're on top of their game. Safety, as far as the trucking division goes, really is their #1 priority. It's actually pretty rare to hear of a Wal-Mart driver involved in a fatal crash. I have a feeling if all trucking companies would follow Wal-Mart's lead then there wouldn't be a need for all these activists. Just my opinion.

[CCTAU 3,350]

Get me a link and I will get it to my friend and let him comment. The state of Alabama has a very strictly enforced speed limit with truckers these days, according to Scott.

Yahoo had it then they made it disappear. I found a link here though. Don't know how they got it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6475263,00.html