Your April 11 Pre-Trip: What commercial drivers conceal

April 11, 2016

Here are five things worth knowing today.

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. A CBS This Morning investigative report reveals that commercial drivers at times hide medical conditions that should keep them off the road. According to the report, commercial drivers are required to pass a health screening to drive, and in 2014, regulators disqualified roughly 70,000 truckers from driving commercially due to medical problems. CBS said its investigation found that some drivers left out dangerous medical conditions from their DOT medical forms. CBS has more. 2. Anyone who has driven along the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles during rush hour knows traffic is a major problem. According to an Op-Ed in the LA Times, traffic jams are the enemy of efficient business-to-business deliveries. The Op-Ed looks at how traffic congestion hits UPS drivers and how the goods movement in the country is projected to double in the near future. According to the article, every minute added to the average daily route of a UPS driver costs the company $12.5 million. The LA Times considers four solutions that could help reduce traffic congestion in the city. 3. “Don’t be THAT Driver” is the slogan for this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week Campaign. National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 11-15, and according to AASHTO News, the goal of the campaign is to save lives by urging motorists and workers to take basic steps to prevent crashes and occupational injuries in work zones. AASHTO offers tips that motorists can take as they enter work zones. 4. DJI, a drone manufacturer, is working to develop a blueprint for using aircraft technology for emergency response efforts, The Hill reports. The company recently partnered with European Emergency Number Association to explore how drones can be integrated in first response efforts. The Hill has more. 5. State departments of transportation are joining the U.S. DOT in promoting April as Distracted Driver Awareness Month, the AASHTO Journal reports. The campaign uses both grim and humorous campaigns to urge drivers to pay close attention to the road. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, in 2014, crashes involving distracted drivers killed 3,179 people and injured another 431,000 in the U.S and Puerto Rico. AASHTO has more on the campaign.

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.