Large truck crashes killed nearly 5,800 people in 2021.
Fatalities involving large truck crashes have increased 71 percent since 2009.
Truck driving is identified as one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Truck safety needs to be improved, NOT weakened.
We urge you to OPPOSE Sections 127, 131 and 132 in FY 2024 THUD Bill, S.2437
- Sec. 127: Permits truck weight increases or increases in axle weight for certain trucks in Mississippi and West Virginia. Federal weight and size limits are essential to protecting truck drivers, the traveling public, and our Nation’s roads and bridges. According to the 2021 Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers, America’s roads receive a grade of “D,” and our bridges were given a “C.” Nearly 40 percent of our 615,000 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory are 50 years or older, and one out of 11 is structurally deficient. Raising truck weight or size limits could also result in an increased prevalence and severity of crashes.
- Sec. 131: Prohibits funding to enforce requirements related to electronic logging devices (ELD) for carriers transporting livestock and insects. Truck driver fatigue is a known and serious issue that contributes to truck crashes, fatalities and injuries. ELDs have been required since 2017 and are a proven technology to record hours of service (HOS) and to ensure drivers are not exceeding the maximum hours behind the wheel.
- Sec. 132: Prohibits use of funds to require inward-facing cameras for the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program (SDAP) and to require that the SDAP is registered with the Department of Labor’s “industry-driven, high-quality career” Registered Apprenticeship Program to ensure the integrity of the SDAP. Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers under the age of 19 are four times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes and CMV drivers between the ages of 19 and 20 are six times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than all truck drivers. Commonsense safeguards for this ill-advised program should not be removed or reduced.
THUD funding bills should not be used for backdoor special interest exemptions from safety rules.