New tool targets road-weary truckers
Traffic officials in Washington State are implementing a new safety measure that's designed to minimize truckers operating vehicles if they're too tired.
According to the Washington State Patrol, when commercial vehicle operators pass through a weigh station, in addition to the vehicle being electronically screened for its weight, size and registration, it will also allow officers to determine how long their vehicle has been in operation.
Darren Grondel, commercial vehicle division commander for the WSP, said that in the past year, several drivers have falsified their logbooks, enabling them to drive longer.
"The vast majority of the truck drivers on our roads are safe drivers and follow the rules," said Grondel. "“But there are a few drivers out there who are irresponsible and this new computer program will help us get these drivers off the road by verifying logbook entries."
Federal and state law mandates that truckers cannot operate a vehicle for more than 11 hours after being off duty for 10 consecutive hours.
Safety issues are among the concerns truckers considered to be most pressing for the industry, according to a recent study issued by the American Transportation Research Institute. Economic uncertainty was cited as the most significant concern.
According to the Washington State Patrol, when commercial vehicle operators pass through a weigh station, in addition to the vehicle being electronically screened for its weight, size and registration, it will also allow officers to determine how long their vehicle has been in operation.
Darren Grondel, commercial vehicle division commander for the WSP, said that in the past year, several drivers have falsified their logbooks, enabling them to drive longer.
"The vast majority of the truck drivers on our roads are safe drivers and follow the rules," said Grondel. "“But there are a few drivers out there who are irresponsible and this new computer program will help us get these drivers off the road by verifying logbook entries."
Federal and state law mandates that truckers cannot operate a vehicle for more than 11 hours after being off duty for 10 consecutive hours.
Safety issues are among the concerns truckers considered to be most pressing for the industry, according to a recent study issued by the American Transportation Research Institute. Economic uncertainty was cited as the most significant concern.
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