A new proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) may eventually require automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on commercial vehicles. The DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on May 31 that would require AEB and pedestrian AEB systems on all passenger vehicles and light trucks. AEB […]
A two-day investigative hearing on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio will be held by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in June. This is part of the NTSB’s ongoing investigation into the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment that resulted in a hazardous material release and fires that exposed residents to toxic smoke. […]
A manufacturer that was assisting the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the investigation of a train derailment was kicked from the inspection after releasing unconfirmed information. National Steel Car was assisting NTSB investigators at the Norfolk Southern Railway train derailment near Springfield, Ohio. The NTSB said the company released information that hadn’t been “fully […]
A proposed rule requiring emergency escape breathing PPE for railroad employees on freight trains was commended March 30 by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB previously recommended providing emergency escape breathing apparatuses for crew members on freight trains carrying hazardous materials following a fatal 2005 rail incident. This Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rule […]
Crashes caused by distracted driving led to more than 3,000 deaths in 2020, an average of almost nine fatalities per day, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). Phone calls, texts, social media and the like are dangerous distractions while driving and they can be deadly, as the NSC statistics show. Smartphones aren’t the only […]
A federal investigation found that a fatal 2021 multivehicle crash in Phoenix, Arizona occurred because a tractor-trailer driver hauling a load of milk was too fatigued to be behind the wheel. Additionally, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports that drivers who fall under hours-of-service exemptions, such as the milk truck driver who was in […]
The East Palestine, Ohio chemical disaster is spurring a bipartisan push for better rail safety. Ohio Senators J.D. Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) are proposing tougher guidelines for trains carrying hazardous materials: Bipartisan support in Congress may be there “Right now, fines don’t make a dent in the profits of big [rail] corporations,” says […]
Federal investigators found some anomalies with the function of pressure relief devices (PRDs) from five of the vinyl chloride monomer tank cars involved in the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that further testing is required to assess the impact of these anomalies on […]
A federal investigation revealed that a mine’s lack of hazard awareness training and failure to properly warn of overhead high-voltage power lines led to the electrocution of an 18-year-old truck driver. The truck driver, who didn’t have a commercial driver license (CDL), was electrocuted when his trailer’s tarping mechanism came in contact with an energized […]
