Safety

Meeting scrapes surface on system to clear ice, snow

FERGUS, ON -- Shawn Nelson sees a direct link between snow-laden trailer roofs and safety, and he's on a mission to create - even mandate - a network of snow removal equipment to address the problem. There is no question that the debris represents a flying threat. Layers of snow and ice on a 53-foot van trailer can weigh one to 10 tonnes, raining debris on the road below, he says. News footage culled from dash cams regularly show how dangerous that situation can be. "Sometimes it's not the initial impact of ice and snow. It's the reaction," he says of the risk. Crash through a windshield or not, the debris can force motorists to swerve into the path of other dangers.

Tow Safety Week offers reminder to move over

MARKHAM, ON - It's been a year since Ontario updated its Slow Down, Move Over Law to help protect tow truck operators at work, but there is clearly the need for a reminder. The day before Friday's official launch of Tow Safety Week, Ontario Provincial Police who were closing a highway ramp had their cruiser hit from behind. That was within hours of a truck rollover where police watched a motorist weave through the pylons meant to protect emergency crews.

Ticket Rates Spike During Operation Safe Driver

GREENBELT, MD - Commercial vehicle safety enforcement officers in Canada and the U.S. made far less contacts with drivers along with conducting fewer inspections during a week-long blitz late last year compared to 2014, according to newly released figures, but the percentage of citations and warnings handed out increased in three key areas. That's according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and just released numbers it published regarding Operation Safe Driver, a seven-day enforcement and awareness campaign conducted on Oct. 18-24, 2015 aimed at truck and bus drivers along with four-wheelers. Law enforcement officers pulled over 21,012 commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and passenger vehicle drivers while 19,480 North American standard roadside inspections were conducted by CVSA-certified authorities on commercial drivers and vehicles.

U.S. Truck Safety Regulators Abandon Earlier Proposals

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has withdrawn a notice of proposed rulemaking that would have required a commercial motor vehicle to display a label attesting that it was compliant with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) when it was manufactured while the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has withdrawn a plan that would have amended haz-mat regulations on the transportation of flammable liquid material in unprotected external product piping, known commonly as wetlines, on tanker trucks.

1,500 Navistar Trucks in Canada Recalled

LISLE, IL - Nearly 1,500 Navistar International model trucks in Canada are among 16,500 that are being recalled here and in the U.S. The bulk are ProStar models, but the recall also includes the DuraStar, WorkStar, TransStar and LoneStar models, all from the 2012-2013 model year. The move follows an investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the trucks may have accelerator pedals that do not fully return to the closed throttle position, resulting in engines idling at slightly higher RPMs, which can keep the engine brake from engaging. The investigation was opened following complaints from truck owners. Navistar identified 1,233 warranty clams related to accelerator pedal issues, with 70.3 percent of these claims on manual transmission vehicles.

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