Good day,
An Ohio state legislator has introduced a bill that would require trucks operating in Ohio to have side guards to help protect pedestrians and bicyclists. The bill, Senate Concurrent Resolution 16, was introduced on Oct. 25, and joins similar efforts in cities such as Boston and New York, which are now requiring the devices on city-owned equipment.
According to Sen. Kenny Yuko, the U.K. has required the devices since 1986 and has seen a 61% drop in bicyclist fatalities and a 20% decrease in pedestrian death due to side impact with trucks.
“This legislation is long overdue,” Yuko said. “As it stands, the absence of adequate regulations on commercial trucks is a serious hazard to road users. This bill could help save lives.”
According to U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center, nearly half of all bicyclists and one-quarter of pedestrians killed by large trucks are first impacted by the side of the truck. The devices prevent objects from sliding under trailers and can be retrofitted onto existing equipment.
Did you know?
The Conference Board is predicting 2.4% economic growth for the first half of 2018, with consumer spending rising 2.3% and real capital spending increasing 4.5%.
Quotable:
“We register fleets of tractor-trailers. Other states hate it, but trucking companies love it. It’s not just cheap, it’s a huge convenience for tractor-trailer companies.”
– Matt Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State, on why the state registers out-of-state commercial vehicles
In other news:
S.C. trucks often registered in Maine
If it appears that there are a lot of Maine-registered trucks operating on South Carolina roads, it’s because there are, due to low administrative costs to register trucks in Maine. (The Post and Courier)
Traffic congestion becoming a larger problem
Researchers are finding that traffic congestion, which used to be centered on morning and evening commutes, is now happening at other times as well. (Wall Street Journal)
Chattanooga startup aims to put shipping rates on commodity market
TransRisk, parent company to FreightWaves, is looking to turn truck shipping lanes into a tradeable commodity. (Chattanooga Free Press)
Tesla to live stream truck unveiling
Tesla will live stream the unveiling of its Tesla Semi on Thursday, according to a tweet from Elon Musk. (ValueWalk)
Women in Trucking launch program to get more women-owned businesses
Women in Trucking is teaming up with Expediter Services for a program aimed at establishing 150 women-owned businesses over the next year. (Fleet Owner)
Final Thoughts
An Ohio congressman is pushing a bill to require side guards on trailers in the state. Objections to the proposal center around the weight they would add to trailers, reducing potential capacity. Perhaps this is where government and industry can work together, with the weight of the devices offset by boosting the allowable weight to 92,000 pounds and adding a third axle? Industry gets more weight and safety advocates get increased safety with no hit to productivity or damage to infrastructure.
Hammer down everyone!
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