Two prominent trucking lobbying groups are hoping the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be open to applying their crashworthiness standards, currently applied to automobiles and light trucks, to commercial trucks as well. The American Trucking Associations and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association both petitioned the federal government last week to at least begin researching how such standards could help Continue Reading

Following petitions from trucking industry and highway safety lobbying organizations, the National Highway Safety Administration will begin the process that could result in a new regulation that requires manufacturers to install speed limisters on heavy trucks at 68 mph. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and Road Safe America both lobbied for the change in 2006. The NHTSA believes the request has merit as it would further boosting Continue Reading

A rule stemming from a 2007 Congressional mandate and an Executive Order released by President Obama earlier this year is open for public comment through Jan. 31, 2011. The joint proposal comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that aims to reduce emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Specifically for tractor-trailers, the proposed engine and vehicle standards begin in the 2014 model year and establish a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by the Continue Reading

A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concludes that antilock braking systems on air-brake tractor-trailers reduces crashes by about 3 percent, but the data is inconclusive for several reasons. For one, the data was insufficient to determine the effectiveness of ABS on the trailer or whether it is beneficial for only the trailer to have ABS when the tractor does not. It also notes that the rate may be underestimated due to Continue Reading

Despite an increase in vehicular traffic, fatalities declined to record lows in 2009 and injuries from highway crashes continue to drop, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The number of highway deaths in 2009 fell to the lowest number since 1950. But for safety officials, the news kept getting better. Deaths across multiple categories, including truck-involved, motorcycles and alcohol-impaired driving, decreased. Though reduced travel due to the recession may have had some impact, traffic safety professionals felt these numbers reflected the efforts of Continue Reading

A study to analyze the impact of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) fuel efficiency program seeks the input of federal, state and local agencies, Indian tribes and the public to help identify environmental issues and reasonable alternatives. Comments are directed to take into account the unique demands of heavy-duty applications, as well as the structure of the trucking Continue Reading