Making the roads safer; new tool to pull tired truckers off the road
GRANDVIEW - It's the rule of the road; truck drivers can drive no more than 11 hours a day.
Along our local highways, a dozen electronic screeners will make sure truck drivers are getting enough rest by scanning license plates, and sending information to nearby weigh stations.
Truck drivers who have been on the road longer than 11-hours will be signaled in to a weigh station and may face fines.
Here in Washington, state troopers say fatigue is a big cause of truck accidents.
There have also been problems with drivers under-reporting hours in their logbooks.
"I think it's a whole lot better than making me put an electronic on-board recorder and maintain it on my own." said trucker Lauretta Mahlenbrei.
Laurie has been in 3 accidents in the last year.
She says cars were at fault in each time, and according to studies by the U.S. Department of Transportation, most truck-car crashes are caused by cars.
And Washington State Patrol says most truck drivers out on the roads are safe, but this new tool will help catch the ones that aren't following the rules, and tell them to park it.
"I'm all for safety, but to me it's all about revenue," said James Huff, a trucker from Georgia.
James has driven for 28-years and showed Action News a log of his hours.
He says it's the younger drivers that don't always know when to put it in park, not to mention drivers who are under pressure, to reach their deadlines.
Other drivers agree.
"It's more of an overkill, there's already too many regulations," said Trucker Steve Templeton.
Still, the law is the law; WSP says in August alone, 98-drivers were cited at the Nisqually Truck Scale, for driving more than they were supposed to.
In the end, it's about getting them enough rest, and keeping all of us safe on the road.
Truckers tell us that the fines for driving more than the allowed time can cost several hundred dollars.
If a driver is cited, they will have to stay off the road for up to 10 hours, before getting behind the wheel again.
Along our local highways, a dozen electronic screeners will make sure truck drivers are getting enough rest by scanning license plates, and sending information to nearby weigh stations.
Truck drivers who have been on the road longer than 11-hours will be signaled in to a weigh station and may face fines.
Here in Washington, state troopers say fatigue is a big cause of truck accidents.
There have also been problems with drivers under-reporting hours in their logbooks.
"I think it's a whole lot better than making me put an electronic on-board recorder and maintain it on my own." said trucker Lauretta Mahlenbrei.
Laurie has been in 3 accidents in the last year.
She says cars were at fault in each time, and according to studies by the U.S. Department of Transportation, most truck-car crashes are caused by cars.
And Washington State Patrol says most truck drivers out on the roads are safe, but this new tool will help catch the ones that aren't following the rules, and tell them to park it.
"I'm all for safety, but to me it's all about revenue," said James Huff, a trucker from Georgia.
James has driven for 28-years and showed Action News a log of his hours.
He says it's the younger drivers that don't always know when to put it in park, not to mention drivers who are under pressure, to reach their deadlines.
Other drivers agree.
"It's more of an overkill, there's already too many regulations," said Trucker Steve Templeton.
Still, the law is the law; WSP says in August alone, 98-drivers were cited at the Nisqually Truck Scale, for driving more than they were supposed to.
In the end, it's about getting them enough rest, and keeping all of us safe on the road.
Truckers tell us that the fines for driving more than the allowed time can cost several hundred dollars.
If a driver is cited, they will have to stay off the road for up to 10 hours, before getting behind the wheel again.
More to Explore
Learn about changes coming to commenting