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December 2022

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month

In 2023, ICSA will once again support Truckers Against Trafficking by encouraging our members and their drivers and other personnel to take online TAT training and learn how to spot and report suspected human trafficking.

Why truckers? Read the guest blog by TAT Executive Director Esther Goetsch below to understand the impact truckers have had on combating human trafficking.

Starting January 2, go to safecarriers.org for a link to the TAT website. Take the training and get certified. Everyone who gets trained will receive an ICSA hat bearing our brand-new logo.

ATRI Asks Truckers to Share Predatory Towing Experiences

Have you ever been the victim of predatory towing? If so, here’s your chance to help shed light on the impact of predatory towing practices in the trucking industry, via a survey being conducted by American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

ATRI defines “predatory towing” as any incident in which a tow truck operator blatantly overcharges for services, illegally seizes a carrier’s truck or cargo, damages the vehicle or the cargo by use of improper equipment, or withholds release of a truck and/or cargo.

ICSA members who have experienced predatory towing are encouraged to complete the survey by clicking here.

What to Do at the Scene of an Accident

or How to Save Money on Insurance Claims, Part 2

In the October Landing Gear, we presented Part 1 of a three-part series to educate ICSA members on what to do at the scene of an accident – and how to save you and your company money on insurance claims at the same time. Even better, you will know you have done the right thing, for yourself and others involved.

Need to know all three steps right now? Here they are:

1: Safety first.

• Set your brakes. Turn off your engine. Watch out for oncoming traffic.

• Note time and location in writing. Turn on hazard flashers, set out warning flares or triangles.

• Do not move vehicles unless necessary for safety or at direction of law officer.

• Do not move people who may be injured.

2: Make these calls.

• Call 911 for Emergency Assistance.

• Call the toll-free Claims number immediately – 800/491-8421. They are the pros.

• Call dispatcher for assistance from company.

3: Take photos and document details.

• Photograph all 4 sides of vehicles, as well as their license plates.

• Photograph skid marks, debris, street signs, traffic lights… anything distinctive.

• Take notes on where people are in other vehicle and any objects loose in the vehicles’ interiors.

• Keep track of who else is at the scene. More detail, the better.

• Do not photograph injured people.

• Do not admit fault.

  
  

Each of these calls should be done immediately, once you and others are safe. You probably aren’t surprised at the first and third calls, above. Regulations require motor carriers to make the 911 call when involved in an accident. 911 brings public resources that are critical at accident scenes – emergency medical personnel to handle any injured, highway patrol units to control traffic, tow trucks to move disabled vehicles.

COACHING CORNER

By Mike Hitchcock, ICSA Safety Consultant

Event Recorders Save $ on Fuel and Maintenance Costs

By now, everyone should know that event recorders help reduce the severity and frequency of crashes and protect carriers from false claims. You should also know that Event Recorders (front-facing cameras) can save you significantly on fuel and maintenance costs. Consider these benefits:

Following too closely: After many thousands of miles of driving it’s easy for professional drivers to become comfortable with a two-second following distance. However, following this closely requires the driver to constantly switch between braking and accelerating. When I was an active CDL driver, I used to think in terms of actual cost every time I hit the brakes to adjust my speed. I also realized that every time I hit the brakes, I followed the braking by adding throttle to get back up to speed. In both cases, I was adding needless wear and tear to the brake pads and wasting at least a quarter of a gallon of diesel. In addition to increasing the risk of a crash by following too closely, constant braking and acceleration are adding to your maintenance and fuel costs.

Most defensive driving courses teach drivers to add following distance of more than four (4) seconds and to run at the back of the pack. That practice saves fuel and brakes, much like adaptive cruise control. Try adding another second to your following distance and see how much more relaxed your day goes. You’ll save money and won’t work as hard.

Bi-Partisan Senate Bill Aims to Expand Truck Parking

A Wyoming Republican and an Arizona Democrat have introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would authorize $755 million over five years to build additional truck parking facilities. Senate bill 5169 would cover construction of truck parking spaces at rest areas and weigh stations along highways but also would cover expansion of parking adjacent to truck stops and travel plazas, including parking located at publicly owned freight facilities such as port terminals. S. 5169 is a companion bill to House Resolution 2187, which was approved in July by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

In the Fight Against Human Trafficking, Why Truckers?

Did you know that human trafficking not only affects 50 million people globally but has been recorded in all 50 states? In the United States alone, the number of victims annually is estimated in the hundreds of thousands, with traffickers recruiting out of our schools, online, in shopping malls, as well as the streets and other locations.

Because traffickers look for vulnerabilities, they frequently target children, using their hopes, dreams, immaturities, fears and disappointments as weapons to exploit their bodies for profit. And while anyone could be susceptible to the forceful and manipulative methods traffickers use, children who are in foster care — or young adults who have recently aged out of foster care -- the homeless, runaways, LGBTQ who may be experiencing pressure or disapproval at home, and people who come from abusive homes are particularly at risk.

In the face of these realities, people often ask us, why truckers? Among the many reasons we can state, at any given time, there are more truck drivers on the road than there are law enforcement officers. Additionally, drivers are trained to be vigilant, and along with truck stop employees, can find themselves intersecting with victims of human trafficking in a myriad of places. Through their efforts, and those of truck stop employees, the exploits of traffickers are being thwarted, and victims across the country are receiving the opportunity for freedom. All it takes is one phone call.