Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/821508
20 commercial carrier journal | may 2017 JOURNAL NEWS Doc on failing roads counts down to chaos A new documentary released in April on Amazon.com examines the crumbling U.S. infrastructure system and the effect it has on the trucking industry. "Be Prepared to Stop" looks to raise awareness about the impact of deteriorating roads and bridges and the potential impact of their "impending breakdown," according to the show's creators. "I don't think the average person knows just how much we rely on the movement of goods and commodities and how fast this country would shut down if that were in any way infringed upon," said Jennifer Clymer, the film's co-director and executive producer. Creators of the documentary inter- viewed truckers, company executives, representatives of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and others. The film also examines what would happen during the first five days without trucks in the event of an infra- structure failure. According to the film, after the first day without trucks, medicine would be unavailable at pharmacies, grocery stores would run out of milk, and hos- pitals wouldn't have clean linens. By the fifth day, fresh drinking water would be harder to come by, industrial produc- tion would stop, ambulances would stop, and hospitals would run out of supplies, medicine and oxygen. According to the film's website, the best way to head off an infrastructure crisis is to be in contact with represen- tatives at the national and local level. More information can be found at BePreparedToStop.org. – Matt Cole Trucks in fatal crashes up 8 percent in 2015 T he number of trucks involved in fatal crashes increased by 8 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The agency's "Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2015" report reveals that 4,050 large trucks, those weigh- ing more than 10,000 pounds, were involved in 3,598 fatal crashes in 2015. The large truck involvement rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by large trucks also increased by 8 percent, from 1.34 to 1.45. There were about 415,000 police- reported crashes involving large trucks in 2015, and 1 percent of them resulted in fatalities, while 20 percent, or 83,000, resulted in inju- ries of some sort. In a breakdown of crash types, single-vehicle crashes with trucks – which involved a bicyclist, pedestrian or nonmotorized vehicle – made of 20 percent of all fatal crashes, while most fatal crashes involving large trucks, 64 percent, were two-vehicle crashes. FMCSA's report states there were 3,996 truck drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2015, 206 of which were 25 years old or younger, while 211 were 66 or older. Also, there were 667 truck occupant fatalities, a 2 percent increase from 2014, with 89 percent of those killed being the drivers. Of all fatal accidents involving trucks, 60 percent occurred on rural roads, while 25 percent were on inter- state highways. – Matt Cole FMCSA reported 667 truck occupant fatalities in 2015, a 2 percent increase from 2014, with 89 percent of those killed being the drivers. The "Be Prepared to Stop" feature docu- mentary film was released on Amazon for online streaming April 6 and can be rented for $3.99 or purchased for $9.99. More information about the film can be found at BePreparedToStop.org.