Truck drivers who use TravelCenters of America’s emergency roadside assistance will need to call someone else if they need help.
Land Line has confirmed that TravelCenters of America is pausing emergency roadside assistance. According to a notice, the truck stop operator is reviewing and enhancing its safety procedures.
“This pause allows us to ensure our team members have the right tools, training, and processes in place to safely assist professional drivers on the road,” Kathleen Roseman, TA’s vice president of fleet sales, channel partner programs and small fleets, said in the notice.
TravelCenters of America did not state how long the pause will last. It is also not known what led to the suspension of roadside assistance services.
Only services on roadways are affected. TravelCenters of America will continue providing services in parking lots, rest areas and other non-roadway locations.
The move follows the death of a TravelCenters of America service technician.
According to the Daily Voice, the technician was killed on Oct. 23 while assisting a Freightliner on Interstate 80 in Frelinghuysen Township, N.J. He was struck by another commercial vehicle. His obituary confirms he was a diesel technician for TravelCenters of America.
According to one study, an average of 566 people are killed and more than 14,000 are injured each year in events involving disabled vehicles. Efforts to address these incidents have been trending nationwide.
Every state has a move-over law requiring motorists to either move over to the next lane or slow down when approaching a vehicle on the side of the highway. At a minimum, those laws protect emergency vehicles. In recent years, more than half the states have expanded their move-over law to include all vehicles.
This year alone, California, Kansas, New Hampshire and West Virginia have amended their move-over laws. Move-over bills in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Wisconsin are currently under consideration.
In New Jersey, where the TravelCenters of America service technician was killed, the law protects only stationary emergency services, highway maintenance, tow trucks and sanitation vehicles. A4813 would require motorists to move over for any stationary vehicle. Under current law, the vehicle that struck Schultz was required to slow down or change lanes. LL
Land Line Legislative Editor Keith Goble contributed to this report.
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