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May 5, 2010

Fatigue Laws * Australia - Older truck drivers fed up with

Sydney,NSW,Australia -ABC Rural -5 May 2010: -- The trucking industry claims older truck drivers are fed up with the new fatigue laws and are leaving the industry... Since the new laws were introduced 19 months ago, 10 per cent of older truck drivers have decided to quit... Executive director of the South Australian Road Transport Association, Steve Shearer, says the laws are too restrictive: "They are very complex, and can result in a truck driver tripping up over the rules" ... "Being a quarter of an hour for a rest break or working a quarter of an hour too long in a day can cost a driver up to $1000 in penalties" ... He says while the intent of the law is spot on, it's too complicated... The South Australian Road Transport Industry is calling for the South Australian and Federal Government for more rest stops to enable truck drivers to meet the current fatigue regulations... Mr Shearer says the shortage of workers means trucking fleets have been reduced... (Photo: Calder Woodburn Rest Area by BKK Architects, Australia)

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Apr 24, 2010

REST STOPS * USA - Cash/strapped New Mexico considers shuttering 13 places

Santa Fe,NM,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Clarissa Ken-Holland -April 23, 2010: -- A $150 million budget shortfall over the past three years has forced the New Mexico Department of Transportation to consider cutting 13 of its 32 critical rest stops... This isn’t welcome news for truckers traveling through the state who rely on these rest stops to take their 10-hour breaks. One seasonal rest stop is also on the chopping block in New Mexico... OOIDA Member Jerry Pike. of Grants, NM, said that shuttering rest stops puts a lot of pressure on truckers already struggling to find places to stop and rest... The age of some of their state-run rest stops also plays largely into the decision about whether to keep some of them open. Most of them were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and many need updating that the state simply can’t do... He estimates that upgrading some of those rest stops could cost around $500,000 apiece... Another state that recently announced it was considering rest stop closures is New Jersey, which may close two to save an estimated $270,000 per year... (Photo from therealsantafe: The real Santa Fe "La Choza" restaurant area)

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May 12, 2009

TRUCKS' REST STOPS * Australia - New rest areas for Qld

Sydney,AUST -ATN -13 May 2009: -- The Federal Government will invest $6.4 million in seven new rest stops across Queensland... In a move that has been backed by the Australian Trucking Association, rest stops on the Flinders, Landsborough, New England and Gore highways will receive new parking bays and decoupling areas... Federal Minister for Transport Anthony Albanese says the new areas will play a big part in improving road safety... (Photo: images.drive.com.au - Australian's highway)

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May 11, 2009

TRUCKS' STOPS * Canada - Truckers petition for more rest areas

It's a lot of country to travel and the number of washroom facilities along the way -- particularly in Ontario -- is inadequate, and only getting worse

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -11 May 2009: -- Lynn Barlow would like to see more roadside washroom facilities along Canada's highway network and she won't rest until, well, it becomes more convenient... Barlow and her husband Terry have been driving team for 13 years. The Manitoulin Transport company drivers are based out of Calgary and typically run a lane between Calgary and Toronto, before heading home through Edmonton... It's a lot of country to travel and Barlow says the number of washroom facilities along the way -- particularly in Ontario -- is inadequate, and only getting worse... Barlow is prone to kidney infections and not having to hold her bladder for long periods of time helps lessen the chances of an infection. But rather than get dismissed as, "some whiny lady who doesn't want to hold it," Barlow is hoping the need for more rest areas -- for reasons ranging from bathroom breaks to complying with hours of service safely -- appeals to enough people that the ministry will take notice... (So far, 400 drivers signed a petition that urges for more rest stops between Ontario and Alberta)

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Mar 19, 2009

REST STOPS * USA - Why should states subsidize highway rest stops?

Washington,DC,USA -Greather Greather Washington -18 March 2009: -- Rest stops are a familiar sight along major highways across America. I'd always assumed they made money for the states. After all, huge numbers of motorists stop to get gas and buy fast food. States could charge a pretty penny for the rights to sell gas or burgers... Apprently, that's not the case. Virginia is considering closing 25 of its rest stops, and not just ones out in rural areas: many of the stops planned for closure are in denser Northern Virginia and the Richmond area. For some of those remaining open, VDOT cites "Economic benefit to Commonwealth" as the reason, but it's unclear whether they mean they make a profit on it, or whether they've just decided that subsidizing driving to those areas is a worthwhile financial tradeoff... (Photo: flickr.com, by wander.lust)

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Mar 4, 2009

REST AREAS * Australia - SA truckies get 9-million-dollar rest

Five new rest areas will be built and another eight upgraded between Adelaide to Port Augusta under a new deal between the federal and South Australian governments

Adelaide,Australia -Transport & Logistics -3 March 2009: -- Federal Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, joined State Transport Minister, Patrick Conlon, in Adelaide and outlined the 13 priority areas to be funded in 2008-09 and 2009-10... The state government will also contribute $4.5 million to the upgrade of rest areas, with $1.2 million of works already being completed in 2007-08. The remaining $3.3 million will also go towards upgrading rest areas on the Adelaide to Port Augusta section of Highway...

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Feb 24, 2009

REST AREAS * USA - Money trumps safety as VDOT proposes closing 25 ones

VA,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Clarissa Kell-Holland -February 23, 2009: -- Less than a week after one Virginia Department of Transportation official admitted the state was “deficient” in providing adequate truck parking, the agency announced plans to close 25 of its 41 rest areas in the state... VDOT Chief of Communications Jeff Caldwell cited a $2.6 billion shortfall in transportation revenue as the reason for the proposed rest area closures.. VDOT’s proposal would be a major blow to tired truckers already struggling to find a parking spot after dark when passing through Virginia. In recent months, OOIDA members have reported being rousted from their sleeper berths and told to move on or ticketed for exceeding the state’s two-hour maximum at rest areas. Most said they looked for a spot at major truck stops, which were overflowing, before pulling off to take a break at rest areas...

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Oct 9, 2008

TRUCK REST STOPS * Australia - Govt pledges $6m for new ones

Brisbane,Queensland,Australia -ABC News -Oct 9, 2008: -- Queensland Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt says the State Government is planning to build 25 new truck driver rest stops over the next few years... Mr Pitt says $6 million has been allocated to build the first 11 stops... He says the rest areas are needed to help reduce driver fatigue and improve road safety...

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Sep 3, 2008

SHORTAGE TRUCKS' REST AREAS * Australia - Listing : nothing for YP

Kadina,South Australia,Australia -The Yorke Peninsula Country Times, by Nick Perry -2 September 2008: — “The Australian National Highway Network should have 22,000 rest areas for heavy vehicle drivers,” South Australian Road Transport Association Executive Director Steve Shearer said. “We currently have 986”... The Australian Trucking Association has released a list of priority locations for more rest areas in Australia, but Yorke Peninsula is nowhere to be seen... The list was submitted to the Australian Government, and details a plan of 18 priority locations where new or expanded rest areas are needed... ATA Chairman Trevor Martyn said the list set out the industry’s most urgent priorities, but thousands of additional rest areas were needed across the country... “The new driver fatigue laws will require truck drivers to stop for rest breaks more often, but there aren’t enough places for them to stop,” he said... The nearest rest area to YP is on the Adelaide side of Port Wakefield, and lacks the appropriate facilities required for a rest area.
If a driver has driven 12 hours in a single day, and can’t make it back to the depot on time, he/she is required by law to rest for seven hours, meaning rest areas should be equipped with everything a driver needs for an overnight stop... “The rest area just out from Port Wakefield has no showers, no toilets, not even a hand basin,” Colin Newbold, of Davies Transport, Kadina, said... “It’s basically a picnic table”... (Picture: The nearest “rest area” to Yorke Peninsula, on the Adelaide side of Port Wakefield, has no appropriate facilities)

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Jul 8, 2008

Rest Areas for Trucks * Australia - Trucking lobby wants CoR extended to government

The NSW branch of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) wants chain of responsibility provisions extended to the State Government due to its inaction on rest areas

Sydney,NSW,Australia -ATN -8 July 2008: -- ATA NSW Manager Jill Lewis says the State Government is ignoring her pleas to take immediate action on rest areas by building new ones and installing basic amenities such as toilets and running water... With less than three months until new fatigue laws take effect, Lewis wants the provisions applied to governments to force them to "get the ball rolling" on fixing the state of rest areas... She says it must turn its attention to rest areas now, adding if road agencies do not address the issue the trucking industry will not be able to comply with fatigue regulations which take effect on September 29... According to Lewis, operators will be forced to break driving hour provisions because there are not enough rest areas for trucks to stop at...


* Line-marking to combat fatigue in south west Queensland

Queensland,Australia -ATN -7 July 2008: -- The Department of Main Roads has installed audible line marking on key roads within the south west region as part of a campaign to boost road safety... Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt says the audible lines are installed at locations where there has been a history of fatigue related crashes... The majority of the money was spent on the Warrego Highway with Roma, Mitchell, Morven, Miles and Charleville receiving audible lines. The lines were also installed on the Leichhardt and Landsborough highways... "These initiatives include projects such as intersection upgrades, widening roads, installing additional signage and road side markers, as well as clearing the road reserve and providing additional road side rest areas for motorists and heavy vehicles"...

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Jun 5, 2007

Rest Stops * USA - Highway shoulders are no substitute for

Truckers blame a lack of available rest stops. Motorists blame companies putting profit over safety
Parsippany,NJ,USA -Dailyrecord.com, by Rob Jennings - June 3, 2007: -- Exiting Route 287 North onto westbound Route 80 in Parsippany on Thursday evening, the first thing one noticed was an 18-wheeler parked on the highway shoulder... Next, two big rigs were parked one in front of the other, about 60 yards ahead... A little farther along, two other large trucks were parked on the shoulder, also one in front of the other... What's the root of the problem?... Truckers blame a lack of available rest stops. Motorists blame companies putting profit over safety... On one point, all agree. The stakes are getting a lot higher... The Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration estimates 755 people are killed every year, and more than 19,000 injured, in accidents caused by drowsy or fatigued truckers... Meanwhile, the American Trucking Association predicts an additional 1million big rigs on highways nationwide by 2016, up from 2.7 million in 2006. New Jersey, being a corridor state, will undoubtedly notice the surge... (Photo, by Mitchell Roth/Flickr: Photos tagged with Peterbilt - We got a big ole convoy)

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