quote: I am a professional truck driver ,try removing unsafe cars from are highways and stop picking on trucks . Remember , the computer you used to write this message came by truck as with everything else you use or have . Originally posted by: Richard Bond " WOLF: GOVERNOR’S TASK FORCE ON TRUCK SAFETY SHOULD DEVELOP AGGRESSIVE PLAN TO REMOVE UNSAFE TRUCKS FROM VIRGINIA ROADS Washington, D.C. – Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10) today released the attached letter to Governor Mark Warner concerning truck safety issues in the Commonwealth: August 19, 2002 The Honorable Mark R. WarnerGovernor of VirginiaState CapitolRichmond, VA 23210 Dear Governor Warner:I was pleased to learn that you will soon appoint a special task force to focus on the problem of unsafe trucks in the Commonwealth. I strongly encourage you to challenge the task force to develop an aggressive plan that will remove dangerous trucks from Virginia’s highways.Consideration should be given to:* Dramatically increasing the fines and criminal penalties associated with truck safety violations for the operating companies.* Requiring that a certain percentage of the revenue collected from fines be spent on additional truck safety enforcement and monitoring equipment, such as mobile scales and handheld portable thermal imagers for both the state police and local law enforcement agencies.* Providing additional assistance to localities throughout the Commonwealth which are interested in establishing inspection programs.* Establishing a monitoring system that will allow the state and jurisdictions to share information on trucks such as when a vehicle was last inspected and what citations it may have received.* Increasing the number of state troopers assigned to enforcing and improving truck safety, particularly on I-95, I-81, I-64 and the Capital Beltway.* Examining what the state can do to assist responsible truck drivers, including providing more places where drivers can pull safely off the highways and rest and ending the practice of letting drivers only park at rest areas for three hours.* Examining what other states are doing to improve truck safety.* Developing a strategy to deal with trucks from Mexico that will soon be traveling on Virginia’s highways.* Monitoring the cargo of trucks involved in accidents, particularly out of state trucks. According to Virginia Transportation Secretary Whitt Clement, this information is not presently recorded.As you are aware, I participated in a truck safety inspection on Route 28 with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Unit on August 5. This was the fifth such inspection in which I have participated. Each one has been an eye opener.Out of the 14 trucks inspected that day, nine failed and were immediately taken out of service. Some of these trucks had steering problems, several had bad brakes and one was being driven with two flat tires. The vehicles taken out of service ranged from tractor trailers to garbage trucks. The trucks that failed inspection were either repaired on site or towed to another location. They are prohibited from driving from the inspection site until they are repaired.Enclosed are several photos and a videotape from the August 5 inspection. I appreciated the fact that DMV Commissioner Ab Quillan, his deputy, Lynwood Butner, and VDOT Deputy Secretary Pierce Homer all were in attendance. Joe Clapp, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also was on hand for the inspection. I strongly encourage you to take part in an inspection so you can see firsthand the dangers that our families, friends and neighbors face statewide on a daily basis as they drive along our highways.According to statistics provided to me by your administration, 1,382 truck-related accidents occurred in Virginia from 1990 to 2001. These accidents caused 1,593 fatalities, an average of 133 deaths per year. Additionally, from 1995 to 2001, 39 percent of the trucks inspected in Virginia were ticketed for violations such as driving with malfunctioning brakes, bad tires, illegal licenses, weight violations and criminal arrests. To think that many of the heavy trucks on our roads are driving illegally is a alarming fact that cannot be ignored. I am fearful that the problem could only get worse when trucks from Mexico begin traveling freely across the nation later this year.Making our highways safer has always been one of my top priorities. Among other things, I pushed for a number of safety-related improvements to the George Washington Parkway and sponsored the national .08 blood alcohol limit to help reduce drunk driving. Because of my growing concern about the rising number of truck-related accidents on our nation’s highways, as chairman of the House transportation appropriations subcommittee I pushed for the creation of the new federal agency to oversee the trucking industry.Since the creation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2001, Congress has provided more than $365 million in grant money to states for truck inspections and other safety activities. An additional $190 million is expected to be appropriated in FY 2003.You should be aware that Congress specifically provided funds through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act in 2001 to the Commonwealth for infrared brake inspection equipment. This equipment was used at the August 5 truck inspection. It quickly determines if a truck has malfunctioning or inoperable breaks.Most truck drivers – and trucking companies – are honest, law abiding and hardworking people. The responsible truck drivers are as anxious as the rest of us to get the bad apples in the trucking business off our roads. I have been told that some drivers have been known to seek out the truck inspection sites in order to force their employer to address and correct a safety defect. Clearly, not all accidents involving trucks are the fault of the truck driver, but ensuring that the trucks traveling up and down our highways and through our neighborhoods are safe will certainly result in fewer accidents and save lives. Senior citizens traveling on I-81 shouldn’t have to worry if the tractor trailer behind them has good brakes and mothers shouldn’t have to wonder about the condition of the tires on the trash truck that comes every week.The critical nature of this problem requires that a more concerted effort be made to enforce commercial motor vehicle laws. The Commonwealth already has a lot of good people working on this issue – the Virginia State Police has performed an average of 40,000 inspections annually since 1995 – but few localities perform their own inspections. While safety is clearly the overriding concern, the resulting accidents from poorly maintained trucks adds to the problem of congestion, particularly in northern Virginia.Again, I applaud your decision to establish a truck safety task force. It is certainly in the best interest of the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who drive on our roads every day.Best wishes.Sincerely,Frank R. WolfMember of Congress"
I say lets get a group of us cars and drive at 70 mph and video some of these trucks that tail gate us cars. We can call the police and give the truck divers plate number and location and demand that they pull this truck over and whole group of us show up at traffic court.
Have the truck drivers report the bad cars and we all will live safer!
WOLF: GOVERNORS TASK FORCE ON TRUCK SAFETY SHOULD DEVELOP AGGRESSIVE PLAN TO REMOVE UNSAFE TRUCKS FROM VIRGINIA ROADS
Washington, D.C. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10) today released the attached letter to Governor Mark Warner concerning truck safety issues in the Commonwealth:
August 19, 2002
The Honorable Mark R. Warner Governor of Virginia State Capitol Richmond, VA 23210
Dear Governor Warner:
I was pleased to learn that you will soon appoint a special task force to focus on the problem of unsafe trucks in the Commonwealth. I strongly encourage you to challenge the task force to develop an aggressive plan that will remove dangerous trucks from Virginias highways.
Consideration should be given to:
* Dramatically increasing the fines and criminal penalties associated with truck safety violations for the operating companies.
* Requiring that a certain percentage of the revenue collected from fines be spent on additional truck safety enforcement and monitoring equipment, such as mobile scales and handheld portable thermal imagers for both the state police and local law enforcement agencies.
* Providing additional assistance to localities throughout the Commonwealth which are interested in establishing inspection programs.
* Establishing a monitoring system that will allow the state and jurisdictions to share information on trucks such as when a vehicle was last inspected and what citations it may have received.
* Increasing the number of state troopers assigned to enforcing and improving truck safety, particularly on I-95, I-81, I-64 and the Capital Beltway.
* Examining what the state can do to assist responsible truck drivers, including providing more places where drivers can pull safely off the highways and rest and ending the practice of letting drivers only park at rest areas for three hours.
* Examining what other states are doing to improve truck safety.
* Developing a strategy to deal with trucks from Mexico that will soon be traveling on Virginias highways.
* Monitoring the cargo of trucks involved in accidents, particularly out of state trucks. According to Virginia Transportation Secretary Whitt Clement, this information is not presently recorded.
As you are aware, I participated in a truck safety inspection on Route 28 with the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office Traffic Safety Unit on August 5. This was the fifth such inspection in which I have participated. Each one has been an eye opener.
Out of the 14 trucks inspected that day, nine failed and were immediately taken out of service. Some of these trucks had steering problems, several had bad brakes and one was being driven with two flat tires. The vehicles taken out of service ranged from tractor trailers to garbage trucks. The trucks that failed inspection were either repaired on site or towed to another location. They are prohibited from driving from the inspection site until they are repaired.
Enclosed are several photos and a videotape from the August 5 inspection. I appreciated the fact that DMV Commissioner Ab Quillan, his deputy, Lynwood Butner, and VDOT Deputy Secretary Pierce Homer all were in attendance. Joe Clapp, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also was on hand for the inspection. I strongly encourage you to take part in an inspection so you can see firsthand the dangers that our families, friends and neighbors face statewide on a daily basis as they drive along our highways.
According to statistics provided to me by your administration, 1,382 truck-related accidents occurred in Virginia from 1990 to 2001. These accidents caused 1,593 fatalities, an average of 133 deaths per year. Additionally, from 1995 to 2001, 39 percent of the trucks inspected in Virginia were ticketed for violations such as driving with malfunctioning brakes, bad tires, illegal licenses, weight violations and criminal arrests. To think that many of the heavy trucks on our roads are driving illegally is a alarming fact that cannot be ignored. I am fearful that the problem could only get worse when trucks from Mexico begin traveling freely across the nation later this year.
Making our highways safer has always been one of my top priorities. Among other things, I pushed for a number of safety-related improvements to the George Washington Parkway and sponsored the national .08 blood alcohol limit to help reduce drunk driving. Because of my growing concern about the rising number of truck-related accidents on our nations highways, as chairman of the House transportation appropriations subcommittee I pushed for the creation of the new federal agency to oversee the trucking industry.
Since the creation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2001, Congress has provided more than $365 million in grant money to states for truck inspections and other safety activities. An additional $190 million is expected to be appropriated in FY 2003.
You should be aware that Congress specifically provided funds through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act in 2001 to the Commonwealth for infrared brake inspection equipment. This equipment was used at the August 5 truck inspection. It quickly determines if a truck has malfunctioning or inoperable breaks.
Most truck drivers and trucking companies are honest, law abiding and hardworking people. The responsible truck drivers are as anxious as the rest of us to get the bad apples in the trucking business off our roads. I have been told that some drivers have been known to seek out the truck inspection sites in order to force their employer to address and correct a safety defect. Clearly, not all accidents involving trucks are the fault of the truck driver, but ensuring that the trucks traveling up and down our highways and through our neighborhoods are safe will certainly result in fewer accidents and save lives. Senior citizens traveling on I-81 shouldnt have to worry if the tractor trailer behind them has good brakes and mothers shouldnt have to wonder about the condition of the tires on the trash truck that comes every week.
The critical nature of this problem requires that a more concerted effort be made to enforce commercial motor vehicle laws. The Commonwealth already has a lot of good people working on this issue the Virginia State Police has performed an average of 40,000 inspections annually since 1995 but few localities perform their own inspections. While safety is clearly the overriding concern, the resulting accidents from poorly maintained trucks adds to the problem of congestion, particularly in northern Virginia.
Again, I applaud your decision to establish a truck safety task force. It is certainly in the best interest of the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who drive on our roads every day.
