Operations

Your Dec. 8 Pre-Trip: NHTSA seeks stronger guards for truck trailers

Dec. 8, 2015

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposes that trucking companies be required to install stronger guards on their trailers.

Cristina Commendatore

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. According to a Bloomberg report, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposes that trucking companies be required to install stronger guards on their trailers to reduce deaths from cars rear-ending tractor trailers. The proposal states that underride guards should be strong enough to protect passengers in crashes of up to 35 miles per hour; the current standard is 30 miles per hour. Bloomberg reports that there are about 400 deaths from cars hitting the backs of trucks per year.2. Ford engineers have developed a new method for reviving old engines. According to an Alphr report, Ford’s new plasma-transferred wire arc (PTWA) process fills in corroded areas of engines, polishing the engine’s surface back to its usual circumference and size. The engine’s surface, which was worn out and scratched, then becomes a smooth mixture of new and old metal, and it’s ready for another lifetime of use. Ford believes this method is an alternative to help reduce emissions. Alphr has more. 3. Penn State is hosting a transportation safety conference from Dec. 9 to 11 to discuss how to eliminate fatalities and improve safety on the nation’s roadways. According to Onward State, the conference will host transportation experts who will look at different areas of improvement and discuss design, operations, safety and planning.4. Tractor trailers will no longer be permitted to come down South Lewis Road in Polk County, GA, according to the Standard Journal. The county will vote on whether to add the roadway to a list of “No Thru Truck Traffic” to the area. According to the report, GPS systems have been routing traffic between Highway 27 North and Highway 278 West to Piedmont, Ala., through roads not meant for the traffic.5. A Canadian association of trucking companies has developed a skills testing tool that could help immigrants get jobs as truck drivers, Radio Canada International reports. Like the U.S., Canada is figuring out how to handle its truck driver shortage, so the BC Trucking Association has come up with the idea to test immigrants. The association says immigrants are “a valuable source of labor for the trucking industry but they ‘may need help representing their skills to employers here.’”

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.