Jasons law

Today is my 50th birthday. Not needing or wanting anything material, I have decided that I will ask for more support for Jasons Law, otherwise know as HR 2156 and S971.
I hope everyone takes the time to read this, it is long. It needs to be addressed here. Think about the message. Instead of bickering over the Full Grown or which politician is right or the best or worst looking lizard is on the lot, pass this on. I am surprised how many drivers are not aware of this. Tell your co-workers, make a sign or a poster and ask if you can put it on a wall in a truck stop or the terminal.
Get involved, there is a link on Jasons Site with fill in the blank letters, and even a quick survey that only takes a few minutes, better yet use the letter, a note and a stamp or fax.

If you can't find it, I will try and direct you. Don't have a computer...someone does. Make extra copies for the drivers that don't.


This bill is so important to this industry and to be honest no one has said anything about it on this site in sometime. This saddens me.

So...Who is "Jason" and why do we need a law with his name on it?
Jason was one of us, a family member. I didn't know him. I don't know his wife. I certainly can put myself in both sets of boots.
This is the tragedy that no one, CDLA or a motorcycle or God forbid the members of a family should ever have to face.

The purpose of Jason's Law is to provide secure areas for truck drivers to rest or wait until they can unload their trucks.


On Thursday March 5, 2009, Jason Rivenburg pulled his truck into a gas station that has been used frequently and considered to be some what safe. Jason was only twelve miles from his destination but could not make delivery because it was too early. His delivery never took place. Jason was shot and killed as he rested in his truck. Jason leaves behind a son that will be two in April and a wife that will deliver twins shortly.

WHAT IS JASON’S LAW​

It is a potential law to address the ongoing and escalating problems with truck driver safety and security. In the last month we have been doing a great deal of research into the problems of trucker safety. The following is a list of current problems, suggested solutions, and side benefits if these solutions were to be adopted.
1) On time supply is a common business practice used by most large corporations today. It lowers operating expenses because inventories are reduced. This business model can only be successful if goods can be shipped and delivered exactly when they are needed; therefore, most pick-ups and deliveries are made by appointment. However, virtually all shippers and receivers will only allow common carriers into their facilities long enough to load or unload. Truck drivers, on the other hand, must allow for circumstances such as traffic, equipment failure, weigh stations, and delays being loaded or unloaded that may delay them. Often they reach their destination early. Because they are not allowed into the facility until the appointed hour, they must find somewhere to “stage.” (This is exactly what Jason was doing when he was shot.) We have also heard many stories about drivers being “put out” of facilities (often by the police) when they have exceeded their hours of service and can no longer legally drive.
If shippers and receivers were required to let drivers stage inside their facilities up to twelve hours before and/or after their appointment in order for them to drive legally, this would not only give drivers a safe harbor, but it could take a percentage of the trucks out of the rush hour traffic and off secondary streets. Many companies do this for their own drivers.
2) For businesses that lack the required space or facilities for these drivers, the “bull pen” concept can be applied. An area off the highway but close to an industrial or warehouse area that is secure and has basic amenities where trucks can stage to wait to deliver or pick up a load. This could be paid for either by an association of the area businesses or a dedicated tax based on the number of docking doors a business has.
3) Rest areas seem to be where most of the focus currently rests. We have included California’s Safety Roadside Rest Area System Master Plan. It is, as far as we can tell, the most comprehensive plan in the country.
The simple truth is rest areas safe lives. The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) estimates that:
· The absence of rest areas increases shoulder related accidents due to parked vehicles on the side of the road by 52%
· Reducing driver fatigue accounted for a 3.7% reduction in accident rates.
· Motorist’s use of rest areas reduced accidents by 3.7% representing a benefit to society of 148 million dollars.
In an article titled, A Safe Place to Rest,” by Maria Koklanaris (enclosed) it is reported that 80% of the drivers surveyed reported that they were always or often unable to find a parking space in a public rest area at night. When rest areas are full, people (not just truck drivers) either drive drowsy or park where they’re in danger. Either way, everyone suffers.
The commonly accepted distance between rest areas (for the maximum affect) is thirty minutes of driving time.
There is and has been Title 23 money for up to 100% of the cost of rest stops! However, truck stop owners and other businesses that cater to the traveling public mistakenly see rest areas as competition. Also the non-traveling public doesn’t view rest areas as a high priority.
There is a building consensus that the federal government should allow states to take on commercial partners to develop rest areas. This makes a lot of sense in this economy.
4) Another misconception is that on highway (public) and off highway (private truck stop) parking is interchangeable. This is only slightly true. Most drivers we talk to will go to a truck stop to get fuel, a hot meal and a shower and then they look for a “quiet” place to rest, usually a rest area. If not a rest area, they find a place anywhere close to the highway so they can maximize the next day’s eleven hour driving time regulation. Also, virtually every truck stop has become a hot bed of activity for prostitutes, drug dealers and common thieves selling stolen goods.
Hours of service rules were developed with the expectation that a driver will be rested and ready to drive for the next eleven hours. That’s not likely in most truck stops.
A revolving loan fund can be set up for truck stop owners to upgrade security, install cameras and lighting, increase parking spaces, etc.
5) Businesses can also partner with their state’s department of transportation to provide auxiliary lots. These would be located less than on-half mile from the highway, be secure, and maintained by the businesses. These would take some pressure off the rest areas.
6) Another approach that is relatively cheap and could be implemented quickly would be to develop signage to direct truckers to off highway parking. Here distance is key. At $2.00 plus per mile in operating expenses, drivers won’t go far off route to park.
In summary, everything we do to help truck drivers do their jobs helps us all. Providing truckers with safe places to rest on or near the highways keeps everyone safer. Giving them a place at or near their destination to wait makes our mad dash to work safer. Our economy and our lifestyles depend on moving products from their source to market and you can’t do that without a truck. More than that, they pay more taxes than any other profession.


This is long enough, and there is more info to add. I think it is important to step up to the plate. I will say that many, many Trucker Organizations, Highway Departments, even a union are in support of this.

 

SenJimSeward | March 23, 2010
ALBANY, 03/18/10 State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) and Assemblym...



SenJimSeward | March 23, 2010
ALBANY, 03/18/10 State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) and Assemblyman Pete Lopez (R/C/I-Schoharie) recently welcomed the Rivenburg family to the Capitol to discuss strategies for strengthening truck driver safety and to advance legislative resolutions urging the federal government to enact "Jason's Law."

The measure (H.R.2156/S.971) would implement a pilot program to establish safe, long-term parking facilities for commercial vehicles. The law is named for Jason Rivenburg, a truck driver from Schoharie County, who was murdered at an abandoned gas station in South Carolina while resting in his rig.

Jasons tragic, senseless death highlights a serious problem facing hard working truck drivers on a daily basis, said Senator Seward. I commend his family for all they are doing to protect other truck drivers, and stand with them in their fight to make sure more children wont be forced to grow up without a father.

Federal law mandates that drivers rest for ten hours after driving for eleven hours straight. Federal law also prohibits driving for more than sixty total hours over a seven day period. Jason was a mere 12 miles from his destination but under the law, was forced to stop and park in a desolate, poorly lit area where he was killed for $7.

Despite their personal loss the Rivenburg family has made the issue of ensuring safe rest areas for truck drivers their mission, said Assemblyman Lopez. While we continue to support this industry as a significant component of our state economy, we also have an obligation to protect the lives and improve safety for individual drivers.

If approved by Congress, Jasons Law would authorize $20 million annually over six years for grants to states to expand and publicize parking options for commercial vehicles. The fund could be used by states for a variety of purposes, including: building new rest areas with adequate parking, expanding parking near truck stops and at existing facilities, constructing turnouts along the highway system for commercial vehicles, as well as promoting and publicizing available parking options on the highway.




Jasons wife Hope along with the couples three young children and other family members were in Albany this week to witness senate passage of the resolution and were formally introduced in the assembly chamber, where members offered personal support and concern for improving truck driver safety.

Additionally, Senator Seward and Assemblyman Lopez gave the family a working draft of their state legislation that would reinforce the federal initiative. Both legislators will continue to work with the family to develop a broad coalition aimed at improving truck driver safety.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdW2UZNYPxA

 

Please, cut and past the blue ribbon in support of Jasons Law.

 

Thank you. 29 years young.

 

In Loving Memory of Jason Rivenburg

http://jhlrivenburg.com/

 

Truck Driver Shot In Dillon Early Wednesday Morning

July 21, 2010



Truck Driver Shot In Dillon Early Wednesday Morning

July 21, 2010

A man was shot while in his tractor-trailer early Wednesday morning, according to a report by Cpl. Crystal G. Norris of the City of Dillon Police Department.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. between Hampton and Calhoun Streets on S. Railroad Avenue.
The victim stated that he was asleep when someone knocked on the door of his truck. He went to the door and the suspect a black male between the ages of 19 and 28, asked if he knew where a particular motel was. The suspect then pulled a gun and shot at the victim through the window. The victim was struck by the bullet. The victim was responsive when taken away by EMS.
The victim’s mother told The Herald that his son was also with him on the tractor-trailer at the time of the shooting.
The suspect was wearing a black shirt and black shorts.
Two other black males were also at the scene.
Anyone with any information should call the City of Dillon Police Department.