Essential Truck Safety Solutions
Five Essential Measures
1. Automatic Emergency Braking
Automatic emergency braking (AEB) saves lives by preventing collisions that human drivers cannot predict. AEB works by using scanners, lasers, or cameras to detect the speed and distance of nearby vehicles. If the system senses a possible collision, the truck’s breaks are automatically applied. Learn more.
2. Speed Limiters
Many of the largest motor carriers already use speed limiters. Speed limits do just what their name implies – they are devices installed in a truck that limit the top speed a tractor trailer can drive. They work through a series of sensors that detect how fast a vehicle is moving. The sensor communicates that information to the engine’s computer. At a pre-determined top speed, the computer restricts the flow of air and fuel to the engine. Learn more.
3. Stop Underrides
An underride is when a car goes under the back or side of a trailer. New American standards help prevent rear underrides, but side underrides protection remains under-regulated. Underride protection prevents catastrophic collision injuries and deaths. Learn more.
4. Increasing Insurance Minimums
Higher insurance minimums provide truck companies critical financial incentive to promote overall safety. The most recent federally mandated insurance limit was set in 1980, at $750,000 for commercial motor vehicles. Adjusted for medical inflation in 2019, this number should be $2.4 million, but has never been updated. The original insurance limit legislation expected insurance companies to have financial incentive to provide safety features, and to screen truck company carriers and drivers. However, because the insurance limits have remained low, this incentive doesn’t exist. When at-fault trucking companies have insufficient insurance, taxpayers end up footing the bill for catastrophically injured victims. Learn more.
5. Safe Hiring and Training
Currently, the the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has not established national training standards for entry-level truck drivers. This means that certified drivers’ training and safety knowledge can vary from state to state. The trucking industry and safety advocates have agreed on better set of standards for insuring that new drivers are trained in safe driving. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was going to put in new standards, called Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT), in February 2020, but has delayed the start date until 2022. Stricter training requirements for new drivers make our road safer. Learn more.
