NTSB Proposes Changes After I-5 Bridge Collapse

This story appears in the July 21 print edition of Transport Topics.

Mullen Trucking LP, the Canadian fleet involved in last year’s collapse of an Interstate 5 bridge in Washington state, said it will improve its planning after the National Transportation Safety Board determined the company failed to properly route the trip that resulted in the accident.

Four members of NTSB last week unanimously approved several safety recommendations and a report detailing the cause of the high-profile bridge collapse.

NTSB recommended that electronic navigation-assistance providers develop reliable clearance data for highway structures, and incorporate the data into commercial-vehicle navigation systems.

It recommended banning nonemergency cellphone use by pilot escort drivers, requiring travel-lanes guidance for bridge clearances and calling on Washington state to improve its low-clearance warnings.

The board also proposed that the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance collaborate to revise the pilot car escort best-practices guidelines and training materials.

The report blamed Mullen Trucking LP’s driver and crew, especially the driver of a pilot escort car, for being on the phone before the accident. It also noted that a weak permitting process by Washington state transportation officials contributed to the accident.

Ed Scherbinski, president of Mullen Trucking, based in Aldersyde, Alberta, told Transport Topics he found the report to be “very thorough” and he was “very pleased” with the recommendations.

The board noted Mullen Trucking had a satisfactory safety record but said the company did not review the bridge’s dimensions prior to the accident.

“We learned a lot through their process,” Scherbinski said. “One thing that we will do moving forward, what we learned from the investigation, is that we need to do a better job and due diligence at the beginning — right at the beginning when we first get the calls. When we first start planning the movement, we need to do a better job.”

NTSB acting Chairman Christopher Hart said that while the bridge has been repaired and upgraded, his hope is that “this investigation will shed light on ways to protect lives, prevent injuries and avoid property damage and road closures in the future.”

NTSB’s final report will be available later this summer.

The bridge between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, which spans the Skagit River, collapsed May 23, 2013, after Mullen Trucking driver William Scott said he was distracted when another truck passed him, causing him to crash into the bridge. No fatalities were reported.

An NTSB review of a logbook kept by Scott, who continues to work for the company, showed he had not violated either the Canadian or U.S. hours-of-service rules, the allowable time for truckers to be working on the road. NTSB also noted that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rated Mullen as “satisfactory” less than two months prior to the accident.

The bridge reopened Sept. 15 after crews installed a new permanent span, paid for primarily with a $15.6 million federal emergency grant. Washington State DOT officials told TT there have been no complications since the new span was installed. They also have no plans to replace the bridge, despite its outdated design.

Commercial trucks make up about 11% of the daily traffic along the bridge, according to Washington State DOT.