The debate over truck safety moved in a new direction Thursday as the National Private Truck Council called on the Department of Transportation to focus enforcement activities on drivers and carriers with the worst safety records.
Testifying at a March 25 House Ground Transportation Subcommittee hearing on truck safety, NPTC President John McQuaid said trucking and DOT should focus on reducing the number of truck-related fatalities rather than the fatality rate.
"While the fatal accident rate for trucks is improving, fatalities are on the rise because of the increase in truck miles traveled," McQuaid said. "However, excusing the rise in fatalities due to more miles traveled is absolutely inappropriate. That approach has allowed truck-related fatalities to increase by 213 from 1996 to 1997, even though the fatality rate decreased slightly."
To reduce the number of fatalities, McQuaid said, DOT should target carriers with excessive crash rates and vehicle out-of-service rates as well as drivers with bad records.
McQuaid’s comments move the council away from the position of other industry groups, which cite the declining fatality rate as evidence that truck safety is improving.
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