The 2023 Midwest Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit brought together representatives from federal agencies, motor carriers, law enforcement agencies, universities and insurance companies with the goal of reducing the number of crashes.
However, the event held Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 29-30 in Kansas City, Mo., had little representation from the men and women who actually drive those commercial motor vehicles on a daily basis.
To compensate for the lack of drivers in attendance, KC Phillips – a radio personality on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking – used his presentation to relay the trucker’s perspective.
Phillips said he spent six hours of radio time allowing truck drivers to call in and help him shape his message to industry leaders at the summit.
“I want to personally challenge you to consider an approach that may not be your first thought in improving roadway safety,” Phillips said. “And that is to engage and connect with truckers to create a sustainable safety culture across the industry.”
The most common complaint Phillips said he receives from truck drivers about safety regulators is that they’ve never driven a truck and aren’t fully aware of the obstacles that drivers face.
“The No. 1 comment I get time and time again is that the people who are making the rules have never been in a truck,” he said. “You don’t know how to drive a truck. You don’t know the impacts that the rules have on the trucking profession. The overall perception by your constituents behind the wheel is that you’re out of touch … This is the fundamental and real gap that must be bridged.”
To help close that gap, Phillips relayed several of the messages he received from truck drivers:
- Truckers are not the problem. “Truckers are not at fault in the majority of collisions on the roadway today,” Phillips said.
- Speed limiters are not the answer. Phillips told the summit audience that making trucks go below the speed limit can increase the chances of rear-end collisions from passenger vehicles. In addition, slowing trucks down below the speed limit negatively affects a truck driver’s income, as most truckers are paid by the mile.
- Driver assistance technology is not ready. “Automatic emergency braking systems provide drivers with distractions due to unnecessary engagements,” Phillips said. Truck drivers want the help, he added, but they do not want any technology mandated until it has been thoroughly tested.
“If lawmakers want to be connected with truckers, they have a lot of ideas,” Phillips said. “Truckers feel like they have a lot to contribute to the conversation about regulations. They just want a seat at the table.”
FMCSA’s Hutcheson attends safety summit
FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson spoke at the event on Wednesday, Nov. 29 and used some of her time focusing on the root causes of truck crashes.
Hutcheson added that the way truck drivers are compensated and the lack of safe places to park are among the root causes the agency needs to analyze.
“We have to dig pretty deep, and that means looking at compensation – how drivers are compensated,” Hutcheson said. “The effect of detention time – are drivers waiting too long and therefore speeding to their next location? … Why are women not joining the workforce? Do they not feel safe and secure? Are there predatory leasing arrangements that are distracting to drivers, making them unable to focus on the roadway? We know the answer is yes … Are truck drivers tired? Do they need more rest? Are they having trouble finding places to park? These are all root causes of why a driver may become unsafe in the first place.”
Several studies and committees have been launched to address these issues. However, FMCSA also is attempting to create multiple mandates largely opposed by truckers, such as speed limiters and automatic emergency braking. LL
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