N.C. Gets Tough on Unsafe Trucks

The head of the Department of Transportation in North Carolina unveiled his plan to reduce truck crashes and deaths to state legislators.

Transportation Secretary Norris Tolson wants more inspections, higher fines and tougher laws against alcoholic beverages in trucks. But his plans exclude a statewide truck inspection program that highway safety advocates called for.

Tolson said the measures, some of which can be done by DOT and some of which need legislative approval, are in response to data that the Federal Highway Administration released last year ranking North Carolina fifth in the nation in truck-related fatalities.

"Trucks deliver products that we depend on, and as our population and our economy grow, so does the chance that there will be more truck crashes," he said. "We have to do a better job finding the unsafe trucks on our highways."

For the full story, see the March 15 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.