All the Opinion That Wasn’t Fit to Print
ATA President Responds to Defamatory New York Times Column

Despite Fearmongering the Trucking Industry is Safe and Getting Safer

By Bill Graves
President and CEO
American Trucking Associations

It is unfortunate that the Times ran an opinion column this Saturday titled “The Trucks are Killing Us,” without properly vetting the statements contained in it. Despite the author’s implied credentials, there are several falsehoods, both implied and intentional, in the text that deserve a response.

First, the author Mr. Abramson notes that “more people will be killed in traffic accidents involving large trucks this year than have died in all of the domestic commercial airline crashes over the past 45 years,” implying the trucking industry is responsible for all these deaths. This simply isn’t true. Per the most recent federal data available, upwards of two-thirds of all serious crashes involving large trucks are caused by the actions of someone other than the professional driver. Speeding, impaired driving and other aggressive behaviors by non-commercial drivers cause far more truck crashes than do fatigue or other issues cited by the author. This is why ATA supports highway safety programs like America’s Road Team and Share the Road where our professional drivers educate the best ways for trucks and autos to interact on the roadways safely.

Second, Mr. Abramson says Congress has “eliminate[ed] the requirement that drivers take a two-day break each week.” This isn’t just an implied falsehood – it is simply and totally wrong. What Congress has done is almost exactly the opposite – it is allowing drivers to take more than one two-day break each week should they need or want to – and easing an onerous restriction that these breaks include two periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration admitted to Congress it never studied the potential consequences of these changes, consequences we now know – thanks to an American Transportation Research Institute analysis – include increased daytime truck traffic and likely increases in crashes as a result of more congested highways during daylight hours.

Mr. Abramson also cites an oft-debunked canard about Congress’ change “allow[ing] truck drivers to work 82 hours a week, up from the current 70 hours over eight days.” FMCSA itself has said such an extreme work schedule would only be possible in “an imaginary world of perfect logistics.” In the real world the average driver works 52 hours in a week – a reasonable total when compared to the average American workweek in today’s modern economy.

The column also warns of the alleged dangers of allowing younger drivers to operate commercial vehicles across state lines. This ignores that at 18, a young man or woman can obtain a commercial driver’s license and drive a truck long distances within the borders of their state, the 300 miles from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia for example, but not a short interstate trip – like the three miles between Philadelphia to Camden, N.J.
The pilot program Congress is currently proposing would not only fix this illogical inconsistency and provide states the ability to restrict these younger drivers in many ways; it would take a huge step toward a graduated commercial licensing system – the same type of system that has long been heralded by safety minded organizations, including ATA.

Mr. Abramson also chastises the industry for opposing technologies like airbags, electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes. Again, this is false. ATA has pushed for a review of truck crashworthiness standards and has supported mandates for both electronic stability control (finally enacted this June) and improved braking systems.

ATA has also been at the forefront of pushes to electronically limit truck speeds and better electronic monitoring of driver hours-of-service – a pair of regulations we hope will be issued soon.

This column also takes the position that trucks are disproportionally involved in crashes – which is patently false.  NHTSA’s most recent Traffic Safety Facts report (dated July 2015) contains the facts:  9% of miles were driven by large trucks in 2013; large trucks accounted for 9% of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 3 percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes in 2013.  NHTSA’s data makes it clear: trucks are underrepresented in crashes.

Improving safety is also at the core of ATA’s support for modest increases in trailer length for some trucks. With a simple increase in trailer size from 28 feet to 33 feet, studies have shown we can eliminate the 6.6 million trips to deliver the 69% of the American economy that trucks move, and that would reduce the number of truck miles traveled by 1.3 billion. Those trips not taken and miles not driven will result, based on crash rates, more than 900 crashes not had.

At the end of the day, there is no silver bullet, no magic gadget that will make roads entirely safe. But through education, by reducing crash risk through sound rules, safety technologies and tighter enforcement, we can continue the long-term improvements in truck and highway safety. Over the past decade, through the industry’s diligence and professionalism, as well as improvements in vehicle technology and enforcement, the number of truck-involved fatal crashes has fallen by a third.

ATA Urges Congress to Move Forward with Driver Hair Testing OptionTrucking Group Says Facts, Not Fearmongering Should Set Policy

In an August 24 letter, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves asked Congress to move forward with legislation that would allow fleets to use hair samples as part of a federally required program of drug screening for commercial drivers.

“Every day, thousands of hair tests are performed worldwide within both the private and public sectors,” Graves wrote. “Their reason for using hair testing is laudable … hair testing is an effective tool for identifying drug users due to its long detection window and because it is difficult for donors to beat the test.”

Graves cited Fortune 500 companies like General Motors and Shell Oil, as well as leading trucking companies including ATA members Knight Transportation and Maverick Transportation, who already use hair testing, but said the cost of redundant mandatory urine tests prevents more fleets from using this widely accepted drug testing method.

“ATA is aware of thousands of truck drivers who have tested positive for illegal drug use on hair tests and have obtained driving positions with other carriers because they were subsequently able to pass DOT-required urine tests,” Graves said. “Several of these drivers have had crashes and, of course, future ones are likely as a result.”

A survey of just four large carriers revealed that, this year alone, 706 drivers failed pre-employment hair tests but passed urine tests.

“If the labor organizations opposed to the legislation had their way, these individuals would be driving tractor-trailers,” added Graves.

Graves also called the concerns from labor groups about environmental contamination and racial bias in hair testing “unfounded and overblown.”

“Hair testing is a validated, proven and effective method for detecting illegal drug use that has been widely embraced by private industry and many governments worldwide,” he said. “Congress should remove impediments to the adoption of hair testing by trucking companies that follow industry standards . . . Moreover, Congress should reject efforts to protect the employment of drivers whose drug use might otherwise go undetected.”

To read Graves’ full letter, go to:http://trck.ng/BGLetter824.

Ronald Emenheiser, Sr. Wins Bendix National Truck Driving Grand Championship
Brook Figgins Wins Rookie of the Year

 Ronald Emenheiser, Sr., a Walmart Transportation professional truck driver based in Yorkana, Pa., was named 2015 Bendix Grand Champion at the 78th annual National Truck Driving Championships and National Step Van Driving Championships, hosted by American Trucking Associations.

“All the competitors who took part in the National Truck Driving Championships are champions – they are champions for safety on our highways and for our industry’s image,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves.  “And while I applaud all of them for their achievements and dedication to safety – I want to especially congratulate Ronald for winning the Bendix Grand Champion award with his superior driving skill and commitment to safety.”

To win the coveted title, Emenheiser’s driving skills and knowledge of transportation and truck safety information topped those of 430 other professional drivers from all across the United States in the “Super Bowl of Safety” sponsored by ATA.

Emenheiser, who won the sleeper berth division, has more than 25 years as a professional driver.  He first competed in his state truck driving championships in 2006, and this is his second trip to the National Truck Driving Championships. He succeeds Jeffrey Langenhahn, a professional truck driver with Con-way Freight, as the Bendix Grand Champion.

ATA also honored Brook Figgins, a professional driver for FedEx Freight, as the 2015 Rookie of the Year after competing in the sleeper berth division.  The Wisconsin driving championship team won honors as the highest scoring state.

This year’s NTDC featured 431 competitors from all 50 states, representing 85 different companies. Together, these champions of safety have driven more than 665 million accident-free miles.

In their respective classes, drivers tested their expertise in the driving skills they use daily. The competition course inside the America’s Center Convention Complex and Edward Jones Dome challenged their knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. The skills course tested drivers’ ability to judge distances, maneuver tight spaces, reverse, and position their vehicle exactly over scales, before barriers or around curves.

2015 National Truck Driving Championship Winners:

Straight Truck: Jeremy Steger, Con-way Freight, Plymouth, WI
Three-Axle: Donald Logan, FedEx Freight, Eskridge, KS
Four-Axle: Bradley Lester, FedEx Freight, Happy Valley, OR
Five-Axle: Eric Ramsdell, Walmart Transportation, Wittmann, AZ
Sleeper Berth Class: Ronald Emenheiser, Walmart Transportation, Yorkana, PA
Twins: David Mogler, FedEx Freight, Commerce City, CO
Flatbed Class:  Scott Woodrome, FedEx Freight, Middletown, OH
Tank Truck Class: Brian Singelais, Sr., A. Duie Pyle, Inc., Webster, MA
Step Van: Andrew Tuck, FedEx Ground, Xenia, OH