This is an interesting read: FMCSA 2011-2016 Strategic Plan

I'm wondering Sir,the story behind that comment;not the long version,just the short,to the point,usually 1 paragraph story..(Why is the Bible so long)ooopps,that is a different thread.

 

While I may disagree with you, I will defend your right to say it to the death.

Back to regulations. You are correct. The government has a duty to regulate highway use. And they have done a really great job.

That means commercial drivers were involved in about 810 instances. Of the 810 instances, 648 were the fault of the non-commercial driver. That leaves less than 162 where the commercial driver was at fault.

To put that in perspective, a commercial driver is is at fault once in approximately 26.6 million miles! If you average 150,000 miles a year, you would have to drive over 177 years to rack up 26.6 million miles!!

The point is more rules are not going to significantly make us safer out there. So, if rules are changed, the changes should address areas that will make a difference.

The overwhelming majority of crashes and deaths are a result of four-wheelers, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Hmm. For commercial drivers, accident rates drop significantly after three to four years of experience.

To make a significant difference for commercial drivers, longer training or mentorship programs could make a small difference. In any field it takes about 10,000 hours of experience to attain "expert" status. When I was cut loose to drive solo, I had six weeks with trainer. Was I "safe" out there? I think lucky is more accurate than safe. And I had a great trainer.

If regulators were paid a commission for each life saved and accident prevented, I think the focus on regulation would drastically change.

 

I would agree with far more stringent standards in certification, actually of all vehicles including four wheelers.

However that does not remove the need to regulate the industry that covers most four wheelers monthly mileage in two days, nor insure that in the interest of making an extra buck companies and or drivers let things slide like routine maintenance, proper labeling and securing of goods, or the tomes of limits placed on our industry.

And make no mistake. In my opinion far more needs to be done by the states to bring down accident levels of passenger vehicles to those of our proffesion. But as we are proffesionals(Yes, yes unskilled labor and all however we are rightly or wrongly paid to do our job flawlessly with rather harsh penalties for failure) we are and will continue to be held to a higher standard.

But as we agree it is a proper function of government, we can debate the levels ad naseum. Until deaths caused by somebody earning a profit on a public road reach zero higher demands for our equipment, and actions will be required.

 

The revolutionary idea behind "America" was that government should be the servant of the people. Pretty much everything before the American Revolution worked on the concept of a Monarch sent by God to act as an intermediary.

Above the Monarch was God. God talked to the Monarch who dispatched orders to the Royals. The Royals in turn saw that the Monarch's dictates were performed by the serfs. You know, folks like you and me. The Monarch was the plantation owner and our purpose was to serve the master.

George Whitfield, Church of England, was assigned to America and brought some radical ideas. He became friends with Ben Franklin and other founding fathers. Whitfield's contribution was an idea that turned the God>Monarch>Royals>serfs idea on its head. He spread the idea the "serf's" didn't need an intermediary and could interact directly with God. Don't mistake this as an attempt to suggest you change your views. However his influence made the freedom to express your religious views possible. Without it, you would be a nonbelieving member of the Church of England. This is just a history lesson of sorts.

Whitfield's ideas influenced the thinking behind the the Revolution. Without his revolutionary concept we could have easily gone the Monarch route. Many colonials would have preferred King George Washington to President George Washington. That is what they were used to and felt comfortable with. They would have gladly traded the English Monarch for a local Monarch.

Please excuse my long introduction. The point I'm getting to is the culmination of American Revolutionary thought was government exists to serve the people. Not the old idea of the people exist to serve the government.

In certain areas, regulation is a good thing. Public transportation is one of those areas. You and I work, pay taxes and expect those tax dollars to work hard and to good effect.

Regulation exists (or should exist) to serve us, the people. Transportation regulation has wildly succeeded in making commercial carriers safe. The numbers speak volumes on that - 162 deaths out of 45,000!

I think enforcing existing regulations could reduce the 162 number some. I'm sure you have seen commercial vehicles out there that couldn't possibly pass a level 1 inspection. At the Banning scale, I went to the office for paperwork for an inspection. An inspector was talking to another driver who hadn't taken more than an eight hour break in weeks! Interesting conversation, that one.

So, what about the 44,848 deaths where commercial drivers weren't involved? Even a 1% improvement would save 448 lives. Just educating people on the importance of tire inflation might save at least this many lives. Blow outs are #21 in the cause of all accidents. Distracted driving is #1, if you are interested.

Scary to think you are more at risk of being killed in an accident driving home in your car than all of the time you are behind the wheel of your tractor. I'm thinking if regulators are in business (figuratively) to serve us, here is an area where even small improvements could save thousands of lives.

 

wrong posting...

 

I am one of those guys that can find positive in any thing written, physical, visual or heard. So, the positive in this article is the education of the public. That is the bottom of the priority list, I assure you. Other than that, I agree 100% with....shoot!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

 

More babalings from a ship of fools. Wish it would hurry up and sink.
I'm all for strapping king ray to the front bumper of a car at a demolition derby. Or a re-enactment of the french revolution with all FMSCA, Dot and
governmental employees in this area playing king louis.