This is going to be a short Bits and Pieces.  It seems like everyone is on vacation and there are only a handful of cases and very little coming from the government or the transportation industry which is important to transmit.  In fact I am writing this to you from the Green Mountains in Vermont so there are other things I would rather be doing.  Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Here is our report:

NEW BRAKE RULES – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that there will be new stringent new braking standards which will improve large truck stopping distances by 30%. The new standard requires that a tractor-trailer traveling at 60 miles per hour come to a complete stop in 250 feet. The old standard required a complete stop within 355 feet. NHTSA estimates that the new braking requirement will save 227 lives annually, and will also prevent 300 serious injuries. It is estimated to reduce property damage costs by over $169 million annually. Read More

Finally – summer.  Hope you all have some plans to take advantage of the slower pace of summer.  Even the news is short this month as it appears everyone is heading off to vacation.

This month we report:

CVSA ROAD CHECK 2009 – Good news from the CVSA.  This year’s road check indicates that carriers seem to be even safer than before, with the road check resulting in some of the best safety results in years.  There were drops in vehicle and driver out of service.  Data show the highest overall vehicle compliance rate — 80.4 percent — since 1996, and the highest overall driver compliance rate — 95.7 percent — ever. For North American Standard Level I inspections, the compliance rates of 77.8 percent (vehicles) and 96.1 percent (drivers) were both records. Safety belt violations dropped down 276, which was a 22.2% improvement over last year.
Read More