Headaches and Airbrakes

Ticket Camera Rules addressed in 11 statehouses
JUNE 6, 2023
Keith Goble
One of the more prolific transportation safety-related topics covered at statehouses on an annual basis is the use of ticket cameras. Federal guidance from early 2022 authorizing states to tap billions for roadway safety programs has resulted in state lawmakers across the country adopting and pursuing legislation covering automated ticket cameras. The U.S. Department of Transportation has touted the technology as one tool to aid in reducing traffic fatalities. The agency states that “automated speed enforcement if deployed equitably and applied appropriately to roads with the greatest risk of harm due to speeding, can provide significant safety benefits and save lives.” Ticket camera issue addressed in 11 state houses. The use of red-light and/or speed ticket cameras to nab drivers who disobey traffic rules is used in more than 500 communities around the nation, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety reports. Officials with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association say the focus on the reve-nue-generating devices ignores the more logical and reasoned approach to roads and traffic: keep traffic moving as safely as possible. The States that currently have bills introduced in their State governments are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

 

Yoder’s Country Market Is one of my favorite stops and I usually never pass up Exit 23 on I-81 in TN. If it is anywhere close to eating time. They are a fully stocked Amish market with homemade bread, pies, and cheese and that is the short list. But the Star of their store is the Deli, I have been stopping here for the past 8 years whenever I can, and I Have never been disappointed. My usual is Roast Beef on toasted sourdough and everything on it. Now they do have some truck parking and take it from me you won’t be sorry you made exit 23. You know I ask my Boy Jacob the question when He was young, What did He want to be when he grew up? His reply was ( I want to be a Sing-er and an Eater) Jacob would have loved this place.

Inspectors placed 679 commercial motor vehicles out of service for brake-relat-ed problems during a one-day, unannounced Brake Safety Day held on April 19. Updated June the 9th.
That accounts for 11.5% of the 5,901 vehicles inspected in the U.S. during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s event covering all of North America. The CVSA said the top three brake-related out-of-service conditions were:
20% Brakes Violations – 479 vehicles. A vehicle or combination of vehicles is declared out of service when 20% or more of its service brakes have an out-of-service condition resulting in a defective brake, such as a brake out of adjustment, an audible air leak at the chamber, defective linings/pads, a missing brake where brakes are required, etc.
Other Brake Violations – 368 vehicles. Examples of other out-of-service brake violations are worn brake lines, broken brake drums, inoperative tractor protection systems, inoperative low air warning devices, air leaks, and hydraulic fluid leaks. Steering Brake Violations – 81 vehicles. Examples of automatic standalone out-of-service steering axle brake violations are inoperative brakes, mismatched brake chambers, mismatched slack adjust-er length, and defective linings.
CVSA said its annual Brake Safety Day is also an opportunity to obtain additional data related to the health and wellness of brake systems on commercial motor vehicles. This year, CVSA focused on capturing data on brake lining/pad violations. Brake lining/pad conditions can result in violations and affect a motor carrier’s safety rating.
Of the 6,829 commercial motor vehicles inspected, 108 power units and 87 towed units had lining/pad violations.
Operation Air-brake is a CVSA program dedicated to improving commercial motor vehicle brake safety throughout North America. It holds two annual brake safety campaigns each year – this initiative, which is the one-day unannounced brake safety inspection and enforcement initiative, and Brake Safety Week, which is scheduled for Aug. 20-26. Be ready my friends, and Drive Safe.

Nick Manis

Numerous organizations recently voiced their opposition to the prospect of larger trucks being allowed on the nation’s highways. The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks sent a letter to Rep. Sam Graves and Rep. Rick Larsen, leaders of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure asking them to “oppose any legislation that would increase maximum truck weight or length limits on federal highways.” The coalition, which includes the Teamsters, the Owner-Op-erator Independent Drivers Association, and the Institute for Safer Trucking, said it is opposed “to any legislation that would raise truck weight limits as part of a ‘pilot program,’ including the 91,000-pound pi-lot program originally found in H.R. 471, the SHIP IT Act, and any state or commodity exemptions or waivers of current federal limits that may be offered as a stand-alone provision.” Key to the group’s opposition to larger trucks is their detrimental effect on the nation’s infrastructure, especially its bridges. “A recent analysis of over 470,000 local bridges (The Impact of Heavier Trucks on Local Bridges, March 2023) found over 72,000 could not safely accommodate 91,000-pound trucks,” the coalition’s letter said. “These local bridges would need to be posted and eventually replaced, costing over $60.8 billion.” The letter also cited the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2021 Infrastructure Report Card, which gave the nation’s roads a grade of “D” and its bridges a “C.”. The group also said the ASCE report said 42 percent of the bridges in this country are at least 50 years old and 7.5 percent are structurally deficient. According to ASCE, the estimate for the nation’s backlog of bridge repair needs is $125 billion. Organizations signing the letter included: the American Public Works Association National Association of Counties National Association of County Engineers National Association of Towns and Town-ships National League of Cities The United States Conference of Mayors International Brotherhood of Teamsters Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Towing and Recovery Association of Ameri-ca, Inc. and more.
40 TON
Weight Limit