Monthly Archives: July 2006
Large Truck Crash Causation Study
The Large Truck Crash Causation Study announced by U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this past spring is now available to the public. LTCCS is the first-ever national study to attempt to determine the critical events and associated factors that contribute to serious large truck crashes allowing the DOT and others to implement effective … Continue Reading
Thought control of computer by quadriplegic
A quadriplegic in Massachusetts with a small sensor implanted in his brain has demonstrated ability to control a computer, a television set and a robot using only his thoughts. In a variety of experiments, Matthew Nagle moved a cursor, opened e-mail, played a simple video game called Pong and drew a … Continue Reading
Alabama deals with truck safety on two fronts: securing steel coil loads & lack of enforcement
In my native state of Alabama, two areas of trucking safety are making news.
First, recurring problems with heavy steel coils coming loose and dropping onto highways pose threats to both public safety and damage to roads. The Birmingham News reports that "Steel coils weighing tens of thousands of pounds falling off trucks with enough force … Continue Reading
Alabama big rig driver flees on foot after killing man in Forsyth County
Cumming, GA, 7/4/06.
Dennis Robert Ingram, Jr. , 31, of Ball Ground, Georgia, was killed instantly when Henry Wayne Parham, 32, a truck driver from Valley Head, Alabama, collided with his pickkup truck about 4:30 A.M. Parham was arrested after he asked to use the phone at a Subway store less than a mile from the … Continue Reading
Behind the push for private toll lanes for trucks
The libertarian Reason Foundation think tank is promoting, among other things, privately funded toll roads and toll lanes for trucking:
Buoyed by the advent of real-time inventories and Internet commerce, truck traffic grew by over 45 percent in the last decade and is projected to grow another 39 percent in the next 10 years. Trucks need … Continue Reading
GPS technology boosts growth, profits and safety at trucking companies
Reuters reports today that global positioning system, or GPS, technology is enabling larger trucking companies to grow and take market share from small companies. Such technology enables trucking companies to know where all their trucks and trailers are at any moment, providing shippers with complete supply chain visibility. The article predicts this trend will continue … Continue Reading
Remembering Dean Ben Johnson
A giant of the law entered the Father’s house Thursday night. The former dean at both Emory and Georgia State law schools, who laid the foundations for greatness at both institutions, Ben Johnson, Jr. was 91.
Dean Johnson was born and raised in Atlanta where he graduated from Atlanta’s Boys High School in 1932. He … Continue Reading
DUI semi driver reported weaving, strikes pickup truck
Gregg County, TX, 6/27/06.
An alarmed driver who saw a weaving tractor trailer run other cars off the road was calling 911 to report the erratic trucker when she saw it crash into a pickup truck, knocking the smaller vehicle into opposing lanes where it was stuck was a second semi. The weaving truck driver failed … Continue Reading
Philly trash truck crosses median on I-95, kills driver and 2 more
Philadelphia, PA, 6/27/06.On I-95 near the Philadelphia airport, a trash hauler truck crossed the median at 7 AM, crashed into other cars, and set off a chain reaction of other accidents. The truck driver was killed, as were a mother and child in a vehicle he struck. The trash truck was registered to Mike Spano … Continue Reading
