Tag Archives: Ask the Trucker

Ask The Trucker “LIVE” w/Allen Smith: The Stop Underrides Act- Requiring front, side & rear underguards

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , , , , , ,

Allen and Donna Smith, trucker advocates, host the Ask the Trucker Radio Talk Show. Underride was discussed on the show in March 2018 and again on April, 27, 2019. We appreciate their open mind and willingness to draw attention to this issue and foster open and honest conversation with truck drivers. Listen in here:

The Stop Underride Act- Requiring front, side & rear underguards on large trucks

We strive for facts & truth rather than talking points. Truckers have valid concerns about underrides and we want to address them. Proponents of underrides also have legitimate concerns for supporting the Stop Underrrides Act. Let’s hear both sides.

Guests on the show:

  • Jerry and Marianne Karth and Lois Durso advocates for Underrides and have lost loved ones due to Underride crashes. These underride deaths were not the fault of either 4 wheeler. One was an improper truck lane change, the other was icy roads.
  • Perry Ponder, inventor of AngelWing, engineer with an accident reconstruction engineering company
  • Aaron Kiefer, forensic engineer & crash reconstructionist, inventor of SafetySkirt
  • Andy Young, CDL holder and truck attorney

Senator Gillibrand Responds to Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn Concerns re: STOP Underrides! Bill

Truck Safety, , , ,

On December 19, 2017, shortly after the STOP Underrides! Bill was introduced, I called Mike Matousek, Director of Government Affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). I told him about the bill and asked him if we could discuss any concerns they might have about the legislation. He agreed to look it over.

Despite the fact that I sent reams of information about the underride problem and solutions and tried to set up face to face meetings with OOIDA representatives, OOIDA proceeded to issue a letter of opposition to Senator Gillibrand and Senator Rubio on January 29:

OOIDA S 2219 Letter

On March 3, trucker advocates Allen and Donna Smith went through the OOIDA talking points on the bill one at a time on their Radio Talk Show (Jerry, Lois, and I were their guests for the show):

  1. Allen and Donna Smith, truck safety advocates for over ten years, have used their Ask the Trucker social media platform to raise awareness about the underride problem. Thank you, Allen & Donna!
  2. Ask the Trucker blogposts:
    Underride Guard Mandate: A Counterargument to Industry Opposition
    Unknown facts about underride crashes and prevention
  3. Podcast of Ask the Trucker BlogTalkRadio: Underride Protection Act of 2017- Truck RearGuards & SideGuards

On March 16, Senator Gillibrand responded to OOIDA with a letter addressing each of their concerns. Read it for yourself and see what you think is the truth of the matter:

Letter to OOIDA from Senator Gillibrand

 

Podcast of Ask the Trucker BlogTalkRadio: Underride Protection Act of 2017- Truck RearGuards & SideGuards

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

You can listen here to the podcast of the talk show on March 3, 2018, hosted by trucker Allen Smith and his wife Donna — advocates for truckers for over 10 years:

Sat 3-3-18 6 PM ET  

On 12-12-17 U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) & Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Stop Underrides Act, S. 2219 legislation. Then U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) introduced the companion bill in the House, H.R. 4622

An ‘underride crash’ is when a car slides under the body of a large truck, such as a semi-trailer, during an accident. When these accidents happen, a car’s safety features are not able to protect passengers because most of the car slides under the trailer, and the truck crashes straight through the windows and into the passengers. 

The bill was originally drafted by our guests tonight, Marianne Karth and Lois Durso. Both Marianne and Lois have lost children due to underride crashes. Marianne & husband Jerry lost their 2 daughters, AnnaLeah and Mary in 2013, and Lois lost her daughter Roya in 2004. The bill was originally called the Roya, AnnaLeah and Mary Comprehensive Underride Protection Act of 2017 or the  RAMCUP Act of 2017—now known as STOP Underrides Act.

We’ll discuss solutions which can prevent underride crashes accounting for at least 300+ deaths per year. Show will include discussions regarding rear & sideguards. Few people realize that the 1969 Federal Register recorded that the Department of Transportation intended, after further study, to extend underride protection to the sides of large trucks.

Discussion includes: Costs, added weight, decreased Insurance costs, Loading docks, Axle/Tandems, distracted driving.
For more info stopunderrides@gmail.com  www.StopUnderRides.org

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truthabouttrucking/2018/03/03/underride-protection-act-of-2017–truck-rearguards-sideguards