Bus Crash in Philadelphia Injures 16
On Monday May 17 at 3:00pm, a bus owned by Del Val Staffing flipped over several times in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. The driver exited I-95 at the Allegheny/Castor Ave. exit when the driver lost his brakes, and then lost control. There were several injuries, including one which was critical. This picture is from the Philadelphia Inquirer article.
Right off the bat, I would say things look very bad for the people at Del Val Staffing. One, it appears as if Del Val Staffing may not have a DOT #, despite this trip taking place in interstate commerce. Two, more importantly, it appears the bus did not have any brakes. This takes place in the jurisdiction where a no-brake fatality accident in January 2009 on the Schuylkill Expressway ended up in jail time a few weeks ago. In that case, a truck driver smashed into stopped traffic, causing one fatality. He could not stop his truck due to severely worn brakes. The driver received jail time, as well as his boss, who knew about the bad brakes, and the owner of a repair shop, who had sold them current inspections stickers, without actually doing the inspection.
Last week, I was arguing with a colleague about the value of the DOT. On the one side, I think they often crucify small business for things which have nothing to do with safety. On the other hand, when they punish obvious, willful, dangerous people, they are actually doing their job. I applaud the DOT people who brought the Schuylkill Expressway case to a successful conclusion, and hope they thoroughly investigate this accident as well.
_________________________
Eric Arnold is a Former Enforcement Agent with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and a leading expert on USDOT compliance for small businesses. Do you have a question for Eric Arnold? Email him at eric@arnoldsafety.com.
Arnold Safety simplifies D.O.T. Compliance for commercial vehicle operators. Get Eric Arnold’s USDOT Compliance Guide, DVD, & Regulations at ArnoldSafety.Com.
Learn more about Arnold Safety compliance consulting services at ArnoldSafety.Com.
More Thoughts on GPS audits
A man from a Midwestern carrier posted about his experience with the GPS audit. It pretty much backs up what I said in November of last year…. they are happening, if it happens to you, you probably won’t pass, and it won’t be pretty.
DOT is pushing for the on-board recorders. That is, technology which completes the driver’s log for him, and fills in the locations by the use of GPS satellites. I have two customers which have made the switch to the on-board recorders. I think it’s safe to say in both cases, their decision was influenced heavily by DOT’s heavy hand. In both cases, the number speeding violations their drivers are receiving has skyrocketed. Yes, they hardly ever get put Out of Service any more for logbooks, but instead their drivers are now being stopped for traffic violations. So which is more unsafe? A driver taking his own leisurely time to make a run in 15-16 hours, or a guy pushing like a madman to squeeze it into 14? I’ve said from the outset, I do not believe these GPS audits enhance safety, and this just proves my point.
OOIDA Concerned About Texting Rule
There’s an interesting article in the online Landline magazine, regarding the proposed rulemaking instituting FMCSA’s texting ban. Apparently, the OOIDA is concerned because as they read the rulemaking, Qualcomm type devices which ping the driver while driving with written messages are acceptable, but smart phones and laptops, which do the same thing are not. Qualcomm type devices, of course, are primarily used by larger carriers, whereas the other devices are often used by very small carriers who cannot afford the Qualcomm or PeopleNet type solution, but still want to have some type of contact with their drivers. OOIDA President Jim Johnston said, “because the proposed ban covers those devices and not fleet management systems, this rule imposes a disparate burden on small business.”
_________________________
Eric Arnold is a Former Enforcement Agent with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and a leading expert on USDOT compliance for small businesses. Do you have a question for Eric Arnold? Email him at eric@arnoldsafety.com.
Arnold Safety simplifies D.O.T. Compliance for commercial vehicle operators. Get Eric Arnold’s USDOT Compliance Guide, DVD, & Regulations at ArnoldSafety.Com.
Learn more about Arnold Safety compliance consulting services at ArnoldSafety.Com.
