Semi safety: What's being done to protect drivers?

Federal agency requiring ELDs by 2019

SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County sees its share of big rig wrecks with more than 1,300 in the last year, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

So what’s being done to protect drivers?

The Defenders went to a truck driving school to experience commercial driver’s license training and looked into what one federal agency is doing to increase safety.

Student Jessica Martinez talked about conducting a safety check before she hit the road in an 18-wheeler from St. Philip’s College Professional Truck Driving School.

“There’s a lot of companies out there that want you to do things you’re not supposed to,” Martinez said. “You need to protect your CDL and the people around you.”

Program Director Noel Smith said safety is always top priority.

“We let our students know that if you’re not safe and you’re not a good defensive driver, you’re not going to have your license very long,” Smith said.

But even during training, Martinez and others couldn't help but think about some of the serious big rig crashes in our area that have shut down freeways, leaked dangerous chemicals and put people’s lives at risk.

“That does put a little fear in me but it also makes me more cautious,” Martinez said.

Numbers from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show in the last two years truckers in Texas received nearly 15,000 violations for not having a valid license. There were also 3,300 violations given out to truckers who drove beyond an eight-hour limit since the end of the last off-duty or sleeper period of at least 30 minutes.

The FMCSA is requiring that electronic logging devices be installed in commercial trucks by the end of 2019. The rollout timeline varies depending on what type of records of duty service companies currently use for their drivers. More information can be found here.

ELDs automatically record drive time, engine hours, vehicle movement, miles driven and location information, according to a news release from the FMCSA.

The law referred to as the ELD Final Rule is expected to save 26 lives and prevent 562 injuries from crashes involving large commercial motor vehicles annually.