WASHINGTON — House lawmakers have approved legislation directing the U.S. Postal Service to set new rules for keeping track of crashes involving its trucking contractors, including penalties against motor carriers for failing to report them.
On Monday the House passed, by voice vote, the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2024, which would require contract carriers and Postal Service employees to report to the agency roadway crashes involving vehicles carrying mail and resulting in injury or death no later that three days after the crash.
It also would require the Postal Service to maintain an internal database of such reports and publish an annual summary of information related to the reports.
The legislation, introduced in March by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is in response to investigations of the Postal Service’s safety records involving its long-haul contract carriers and a government watchdog report published in February revealing lax oversight of its partner trucking companies, brokers and drivers.
“It is our hope this legislation creates a virtuous feedback loop at the Postal Service in which crash data enforces strict adherence to safety compliance and best practices,” Connolly said when he introduced the bill.
In a March 12 op-ed published in The Hill, Connolly detailed a tragedy that occurred in June 2022 involving two families driving on Interstate 25 between Greeley, Colorado, and Gillette Wyoming, and a truck carrying mail on a contract with the Postal Service.
“The truck’s brakes were out of alignment, it was uninsured, and its driver did not have a commercial driver’s license,” Connolly said. “The truck slammed into the back of the Godines’ family vehicle and, in an instant, a member of the Everts family and three generations of Godines lost their lives, including a 3-month-old baby girl.
“Unknown to most Americans, this tragedy is playing out across our country. Over the last three years, at least 79 people were killed in crashes involving trucks contracted by the Postal Service. Even more concerning, the number of lives lost could be even higher because, just last year, we learned that USPS did not even report serious crashes involving its trucking contractors.”
Reports submitted by contract carriers and Postal Service employees must include detailed information “describing, at a minimum, the crash, including the date, time, location, nature of the crash, information identifying the contractor, number of injuries, fatalities, and any contributing factors to the crash,” according to the bill. “An employee or contractor … shall update the report, in such form and manner as the Postal Service deems appropriate, to reflect any change in crash-caused injuries or fatalities.”
Postal Service contractors that fail to report a crash within the reporting deadline face penalties to be determined by the Postal Service, “including fines, suspension of contracts, or termination of contracts,” the legislation states.
“The Postal Service may take into account the severity of the applicable traffic crash and the frequency of noncompliance with the requirements of this Act by the applicable Postal Service contractor when determining which penalty to apply (if any).”
The bill, which now goes to the Senate, has a 34% chance of being enacted, according to govtrack.us, which analyzes legislation trends. Only about 21% of bills that made it past committee in 2021-2023 were enacted, the website noted.
Skip kealey
I was working with a company like 10 yrs ago. I was in the sleeper when the co-driver was driving. I was training him and I ended up on the floor. Cause he hit a car. Yes it was my fault that I fell on the floor cause I didn’t have my seat belt on in bed. But we were contracted to another company that was contracted to them hauling mail. Also these cops have to get off there cell phones while sitting in the middle and stop these idiots that tailgate. Yes I’m talking all vehicles including semis. And yes it’s very true how do these ppl get a cdl if can’t speak English. I guess GPS is the way. I don’t use GPS I’m an American born raised here. Look at Amazon about 80 percent of them can’t speak English or drive straight. Beat up trucks. Good day. Yes I’m fed up with this crap 25 yrs.
Cassandra
The facts are simple. They broker out the freight to the lowest bidder. Unfortunately, the lowest bidder usually means the worst maintained equipment. Maintaining a tractor and trailer is expensive. Second, majority of these drivers that move the cheap freight are immigrants that have limited knowledge of the English language. If you cannot read and communicate in English, how can you understand the rules and safety requirements?.
dave
Many of the trucks are driven by people that have NO CLUE about assured-clear-distance. Many of the trucks running over 70 mph in Ohio can’t even stay in their own lane. It is very dangerous to go anywhere with the current group of incompetent drivers on the road. And knowing that the newer trucks are so easy to operate, with AUTOmatic transmissions, cruise control, a/c, power everything…. when i drove trucks, you had to know how to actually operate a semi truck. —– The current situation on the road with trucks is very dangerous.
Jerry
What’s not stated, was this brokered freight. All too common brokers match loads to the lowest paying freight with poor safety records. While rejecting offers from safe operating carriers. The carrier in question operates 22 trucks and aside from that fatality accident, over the past 24 Mo’s had 3 other personal injury accidents. OOS rates was +24%.
I’m seeing othe red flags
Sales Rep
Most of these posts make excellent points. I would like to add that when I see numbers like 70% of the Class 8 vehicle crashes are the fault of passenger vehicles I can’t help but think the licensing practices of Class C drivers needs to be enhanced. Most drivers have no clue how long it takes to stop 80,000 lbs. moving down the highway at 70 mph. They don’t understand blind spots or anything else related to driving commercial vehicles. This would be a no brainer to start better safety practices.
But then again, the politicians are pointing out the trucks “brakes were out of alignment”.