Category Archives: Truck Safety

Additional response from trucking industry to our request for voluntary action on underride problem

February 21, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyNHTSA rulemaking, trailer buyers, trailer manufacturers, underride guards, Vision ZeroMarianne

In our efforts to not only improve regulatory federal standards on underride guards but, also, to catalyze voluntary industry improvement, we heard back from several companies to whom we had written, including:

UPS in Atlanta (Dan)
CR England (Chad England)
Extra Mile Transportation (Brent)
J.B. Hunt (Greer Woodruff, Lowell, AK
UPS (buys from Great Dane)
FedEx

Chad England committed his company to looking into the matter seriously. (CR England) And Dean Engelage (Great Dane) invited Jerry and I to visit their Research & Design Center in Savannah in June 2014:

Jerry,

We’re looking forward to hosting you and your wife next week. I thought we would start the day off with an 8:30 am breakfast at a local favorite, J. Christopher’s which is near the hotel 122 E Liberty Street. Brandie Fuller, our VP of Marketing, will join us. Parking for the restaurant is street-side at a meter.

We’ll then head to the Great Dane office which is also close by. A series of meetings and a tour of our R&D lab followed by lunch. If all goes as planned we should be finished right after lunch.

I look forward to meeting you both and safe travels to Savannah. If you have any questions, please email me or call me.

Regards,

Dean Engelage

President

Great Dane

This is what we learned from the Great Dane visit: Underride Guards: Can we “sit down at the table together” and work this out?

In addition, we received a letter from Brent Hudson at Extra Mile Transportation:

I am in receipt of your letter and packet dated 17 Feb 14.

First, let me offer you my most sincere condolences on the loss of your beautiful daughters. I have a daughter who is two months shy of her 18^th birthday, so I do not even want to imagine the heartache associated with this tragedy. I can only offer you my most sincere respect in working to turn such a tragedy into something good.

Extra Mile Transportation is a non-asset based, third party freight broker. That means that we don’t own any equipment, we contract out for everything we move. However, we are in a position to exert some influence on this matter. By copy of this email, I am requesting our Director of Logistical Solutions incorporate this awareness campaign into some of his efforts. I will be meeting with him to go over this issue and we’ll see what impact we may have.

I wish you only the best for the times you share with your other children and hope that your memories of Mary and AnnaLeah continue to have a positive impact on our safety.

My warmest personal regards,

Brent Hudson, Vice President

Extra Mile Transportation

For more details of our efforts in reaching out to the trucking industry and, in particular, the encouraging response from J. B. Hunt, see: An unexpected phone call from a trailer buyer with good news on underride guards

All in all, we are hopeful that the combination of calling for both more appropriate regulations through Vision Zero rulemaking and, at the same time, voluntary action will yield the desired result–SAVED LIVES. Together, we can do this!

Taking the Vision Zero Petition to DC on March 3 & 4! Sign & Share: Save Lives Not Dollars: Urge DOT to Adopt a Vision Zero Policy

Interesting Public Comment on the Underride Rule Question: To Retrofit or Not To Retrofit Used Trailers?

February 21, 2016Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyNHTSA rulemaking, rear underride, underride guardsMarianne

The Public Comment Period closed on February 16, but not all of the submitted comments have been posted yet. The proposed rear underride rule can be seen here along with all of the posted comments: NPRM Upgrade Underide

On the question of whether used trailers should be retrofitted in order to make them safer (better able to protect against deadly underride crashes), here is an opinion from one person who recently submitted a public comment. . .

Decision not to require used trailers to be retrofitted (end of Section 7, page 32):

“You state that your analysis indicates such a retrofitting requirement would be very costly without sufficient safety benefits. If more lives would be saved and more injuries would be prevented by requiring new trailers to meet the new standards, then logic dictates that more lives would be saved and more injuries would be prevented by requiring used trailers to be retrofitted.

“Indeed, the crash tests cited for new trailers of different manufacturers tested on a Chevy Malibu suggest substantial disparities. It can be expected that the disparities would be magnified if tests were conducted on some of the used equipment in the nation’s fleet. If it is not worth the cost to retrofit an old trailer (in which case it should be scrapped), that should be the decision of its owner rather than the decision of NHTSA.” See more of his comments here: Comment from D. J. Young, III

Here is one innovative side/rear guard design which will be tested soon and could be a possibility for retrofit: Innovative combined side & rear guard promises better underride protection.

An unexpected phone call from a trailer buyer with good news on underride guards

February 20, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck Safetytrailer manufacturers, underride guardsMarianne

Jerry was pleasantly surprised tonight by a phone call from Greer Woodruff, Vice President of Safety & Security at J.B. Hunt. J. B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. is a trucking and transportation company that was founded by Johnnie Bryan Hunt, and based in the Northwest Arkansas city of Lowell.

Greer was calling to let Jerry know that Wabash National, a trailer manufacturer, had redesigned their rear underride guard to provide better protection at the outer edges of the guard. And he also wanted us to know that J.B. Hunt was the first to purchase the new trailers–having ordered 4,000 of them in January.

We had already heard about that yesterday morning. Thank you, Wabash, for creating a safer truck rear underride guard!

But then Greer went on to say that he had wanted to be sure and tell us about it and thank us for the letters, which Jerry wrote to J.B. Hunt–along with the major trailer manufacturers and many other trailer buyers, back in 2014 before we launched our first petition. Those letters, he said, had raised their awareness about the underride problem and spurred them on to talk to the trailer manufacturers about producing safer trailers.

That brought a smile to Jerry’s face.

We look forward to finding out more details about its design features and what level of protection it provides. Also, we hope to see additional attention given to side and front underride protection and retrofitting existing trailers as well.

Meanwhile, we are encouraged to see that progress is being made in moving toward the best possible protection with both voluntary and regulatory action. The Vision Zero Petition Book has arrived!

First set of letters which Jerry sent to trailer buyers in February 2014 (a variation of this went to trailer manufacturers):

One of the letters which went out to trailer manufacturers in February 2014:

A second set of letters went out in March 2014 to clarify our role/position:

Another letter went out asking for support to our petition request for stronger underride guards:

And then Jerry sent a follow-up letter in the fall of 2014, including with it copies of the IIHS Status Reports which had articles on underride guards:

IIHS Status Reports with articles on underride guards, which we included with the letters to the trucking companies:

Finally, after setting up our non-profit, AnnaLeah & Mary for Truck Safety, in the summer of 2015, we wrote to all of the truck companies again–asking for their help to voluntarily find safer underride guard designs:

Also, sometime after our letter writing, we were discussing our efforts with John Lannen at the Truck Safety Coalition. He asked for our list and said, “Thanks – I’ll follow up with Greer since I know him well. What reaction did you get?”

In our efforts to not only improve regulatory federal standards on underride guards but, also, to catalyze voluntary industry improvement, we heard back from several other companies to whom we had written, including:

UPS in Atlanta (Dan)
CR England (Chad England)
Extra Mile Transportation (Brent)
J.B. Hunt (Greer Woodruff, Lowell, AK
UPS (buys from Great Dane)
FedEx

For more details on the response we got from them, see: Additional response from trucking industry to our request for voluntary action on underride problem.

Photo Album of Jerry and his girls: With Dad. . . Family Man Jerry prays for his children every morning (lifting them before their heavenly Father/Abba). He is proud of them, teases them, enjoys spending time with them, and treasures each of his special children.

Jerry shares our story at the Fall 2015 Sorrow to Strength conference in DC hosted by the Truck Safety Coalition:

The Vision Zero Petition Book has arrived!

February 19, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyVision Zero, Vision Zero Book, Vision Zero PetitionMarianne

On May 5, 2014, we delivered 11,000 AnnaLeah & Mary Stand Up for Truck Safety petition envelopes to DOT in Washington, DC.

This time around, thanks to Jerry’s brainstorm, we are delivering the petitions in a bound copy of The Vision Zero Petition Book. All of the first 16, 516 signatures (and any comments which they made) will be in the book, along with the letters to President Obama and Secretary Foxx and a whole lot of other information which I compiled to spell out how we are asking them to implement our Vision Zero petition requests–creatively arranged by Isaac.

Two weeks from today, on March 4, we will be delivering the book to DOT and to various legislators as well as dropping off a copy at The White House. In addition, Care2 will be printing a binder with all of the signatures–up to printing time–and get it to us on February 29; we will take that along to deliver to DOT.

Five boxes of the book arrived today! Excited to see what will come about!

It’s not too late for names to be added! Sign & Share: Save Lives Not Dollars: Urge DOT to Adopt a Vision Zero Policy

Our Petition Delivery to DC on MAY 5, 2014:

Automatic Braking Systems: Enforceable federal safety standards vs voluntary industry standards

February 18, 2016Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyNHTSA rulemaking, voluntary standardsMarianne

Should we be concerned that NHTSA is leaning toward accepting voluntary standards to be written by the automotive industry regarding automatic braking systems for cars rather than developing federal standards?

Safety advocates are raising concerns about this:

The technology automatically applies brakes to prevent or mitigate collisions, rather than waiting for the driver to act. It’s the most important safety technology available today that’s not already required in cars.

Such systems should be standard in all new cars, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But instead of mandating it, the government is trying to work out a voluntary agreement with automakers in hopes of getting it in cars more quickly.

But safety advocates say voluntary agreements aren’t enforceable and are likely to contain weaker standards and longer timelines than if the government had issued rules. Safety groups want braking mandate

And Michael Lemov would certainly think so based upon what I read in his historical , eye-opening book, Car Safety Wars: One Hundred Years of Technology, Politics, and Death:

Voluntary industry standards, in any industry, have the reputation of often being weak standards. They are enforceable only through publicity and public awareness, not by government action. The level of such voluntary standards, set by industry committees with limited public participation, can be that demanded by the weakest company, the one with the tightest profit margins. Voluntary standards are ‘consensus’ standards, based on agreement of all industry participants. In dealing with the lives and safety of so many people, safety standards, are, and were then, matters not of consensus but of public importance. (Lemov, p. 94) Congress, Please give NHTSA the authority & resources to do their job and keep us safe on the road!

And read more here:

I’m all for getting safety solutions implemented as quickly as possible. But what is the most realistic and comprehensive means of getting this accomplished in a way that will have far-reaching and enforceable results? That’s what I want to know.

Thank you, 19,000 signers on our #VisionZero petition!

February 18, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyVision Zero, Vision Zero PetitionMarianne

Thank you, Wabash, for creating a safer truck rear underride guard!

February 18, 2016Safety Advocacy, Truck Safetyrear underride guards, underride guards, WabashMarianne

Ted Scott, from the American Trucking Association, just emailed me with the news about the new rear underride guard design announced yesterday by Wabash (a trailer manufacturer).

The new rear impact guard is constructed of advanced high-strength steel. Its patent-pending design features two additional vertical posts and a longer, reinforced bumper tube, all of which are engineered to work together to absorb energy better and deflect rear impact at any point along the bumper. In addition, the new guard is fully galvanized to resist corrosion. Wabash Debuts Rear Impact Guard Design for its Dry Van Trailers

Thank you, Wabash, for your commitment to safer trucks.

“Our work on the rear impact guard, and trailer performance in general, isn’t finished,” added Giromini. “Innovation is ongoing at Wabash National. We’re continually looking at ways to optimize total performance through engineering and the use of advanced materials in ways that make sense for our customers.”

I hope that means that they will also be looking at side guard and retrofitting solutions as well.

And thank you, J.B. Hunt, for already ordering 4,000 new trailers with the improved underride protection to put on our roads.

Truck SIDE GUARDS: Let’s get the debate out in the open. Somebody’s life is depending on it. #VRU

February 16, 2016Safety Advocacy, Truck Safetycyclists, pedestrians, side guards, side underride, underride guards, VRU, Vulnerable Road UsersMarianne

The question was brought to my attention as to whether truck side guards, if they were strong enough to prevent passenger vehicle underride (i.e., probable death or severe injury), would be more harmful to pedestrians and cyclists (Vulnerable Road Users–VRU).

I didn’t know. So I asked the experts with whom I am acquainted, and this is what I found out:

Hi MarianneWell-designed rear, side, front underride protection on trucks, will not make it more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, but potentially make it safer for peds and cyclists.
This is discussed in my truck report of 1993 and PhD, and our 2014 paper on side underrun barriers. Side Underrun Barriers Rechnitzer & Grzetieta

Of course, that is the point – to have performance criteria for these systems – front and side – that include peds and cyclists.

Regards

Dr George Rechnitzer, Forensic and Safety Engineering
Victoria, Australia, Website: http://www.georgerechnitzer.com.au/

Adjunct Assoc. Professor George Rechnitzer, Transport and Road Safety (TARS) Research, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Web: http://www.tars.unsw.edu.au/
The other feedback, which I received from a crash reconstructionist friend who sees the aftermath of lots of crashes firsthand, was more short and to the point: “I think that stronger side skirts will save lives no matter what vehicle is in play. Would you, as a cyclist, rather bump your head on a resilient skirt (or a flexible one like mine for that matter) or slide underneath a trailer and end up looking like a pancake?”

Goodness, I sure hope that we can help shed light on issues such as these at the Underride Roundtable on May 5, 2016. Delays resulting from endless debate and/or stalling on problem-solving has already led to too many needless and preventable deaths.

Aaron Kiefer’s Innovative Side/Rear Underride Guard

Hopefully, Coming Soon To A Road Near You!

“I want to be famous somehow. I don’t know how but I just do.” Mary Karth, April 2013.

February 12, 2016AnnaLeah and Mary, Safety Advocacy, Truck SafetyMakeaWish, Vision ZeroMarianne

“I want to be famous somehow. I don’t know how but I just do.” Mary Karth, April 2013. (Photo 2005)

The Save Lives Not Dollars: Urge DOT to Adopt a Vision Zero Policy Petition reached 16,500 signatures today. I guess you “got” your wish, Mary, because a lot of people have heard about you and your sister and are standing with us to speak up for safer roads.

In memory of AnnaLeah & Mary Lydia Karth

A Mother’s Memories

AnnaLeah’s Statement of Faith 3

Recently-posted Public Comments on Truck Underride Upgrade. . . Public Comment Period ends 2/16/16

February 10, 2016Truck SafetyNHTSA rulemaking, truck underrideMarianne

Here are the most recent comments posted on the Federal Register for the rear underride rulemaking for trailers (including the Virginia Tech engineering student design team):

DOCUMENT ID: NHTSA-2015-0118-0013 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2015-0118-0013)
DOCUMENT TYPE: SUPPORTING & RELATED MATERIALS
POSTED DATE: 02/09/2016
DOCUMENT TITLE: Response to NPRM: Rear Impact Guards, Rear Impact Protection

DOCUMENT ID: NHTSA-2015-0118-0014 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2015-0118-0014)
DOCUMENT TYPE: PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS
POSTED DATE: 02/09/2016
DOCUMENT TITLE: Comment of The National Transportation Safety Board

DOCUMENT ID: NHTSA-2015-0118-0015 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2015-0118-0015)
DOCUMENT TYPE: PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS
POSTED DATE: 02/09/2016
DOCUMENT TITLE: Comment from American Trucking Association

This is the comment from the Virginia Tech Senior Underride Design Team:

DOCUMENT ID: NHTSA-2015-0118-0016 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2015-0118-0016)
DOCUMENT TYPE: PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS
POSTED DATE: 02/09/2016
DOCUMENT TITLE: Comment from Mechanical Engineering Underride Design Group

DOCUMENT ID: NHTSA-2015-0118-0017 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2015-0118-0017)
DOCUMENT TYPE: PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS
POSTED DATE: 02/09/2016
DOCUMENT TITLE: Comment from The Association for the Work Truck Industry

All comments can be seen here: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;dct=FR+PR+N+O+SR;rpp=10;po=0;D=NHTSA-2015-0118

The formal Public Comment period will end on February 16, 2016.