What Is the Department of Transportation (DOT)?
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is the federal agency responsible for planning and coordinating federal transportation projects and setting safety regulations for all modes of transportation in the United States.
According to the official description, DOT’s mission is to “Ensure our Nation has the safest, most efficient, and modern transportation system in the world, which improves the quality of life for all American people and communities, from rural to urban, and increases the productivity and competitiveness of American workers and businesses.” The DOT plays a crucial role in setting and enforcing regulations that affect transportation safety, infrastructure development, and environmental sustainability.
DOT’s main activities include funding infrastructure projects, conducting research to improve transportation systems, and implementing policies to enhance safety and accessibility. It also addresses issues such as traffic management, vehicle safety standards, and the environmental impact of transportation. Understanding the Department of Transportation is critical to comprehending how federal policy influences the everyday movement of people and goods, shaping economic development and public safety nationwide.
More information about Department of Transportation
E-Commerce means more truck traffic in NEPA
In the past decade, Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) has rapidly become a hub for e-commerce distribution. E-commerce, or the ability to buy and sell items online, is quickly becoming one of the most popular and easiest ways for people to shop. As a result, more tractor trailers carrying online purchases are on the road than ever before. For this area especially, tractor trailer traffic has increased exponentially. Distribution and fulfillment centers continue to pop up throughout the region—across Lackawanna, Luzerne Monroe, Wayne and Schuylkill Counties, there are over 30 industrial centers, each with their own small community of businesses. Twenty-two industrial centers are located in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties alone.
Companies
with distribution and fulfillment centers located in this area include Walmart,
Amazon, Gatorade, PepsiCo, ABF Freight, Quaker Oats, and Hershey. Currently, Chewy.com, Patagonia, and Adidas
are working on building their own fulfillment and distribution centers in the
area. […]
More information about Department of Transportation
Trucking app promises progress, but raises safety questions
Technology has the capacity to transform the trucking industry and improve truck drivers’ way of life. Of course, that technology comes with questions about highway safety and to what extent tech companies can be held liable as their products become increasingly central to our lives.
The trucking industry is a fast-paced, competitive environment worth hundreds of billions of dollars. This market, combined with the overall unavailability of a direct and easy way for truckers to arrange the loads they haul, leaves a gap for the ever-growing technological advancement of our modern age to creep in. In 2013, Drew McElroy and Jonathan Salama took advantage of this gap to create the app “Transfix.” This app aims to make it easier for independent truckers to schedule loads, thereby decreasing the amount of time a truck may sit empty, losing money. Typically, independent truck drivers rely on freight brokers to schedule the loads they haul. […]
Read MoreMore information about Department of Transportation
Truck Accident Lawyers, Local Officials Say No to Bigger Trucks
Bigger Trucks Threaten Public Safety and Infrastructure
“Bigger Trucks: Bad For America’s Local Communities,” a letter written by over 1,000 local government leaders, was presented to Congressional Capitol Hill offices on February 22, 2018. The letter, signed by mayors, local engineers and public works employees, argues that “Longer and heavier trucks would cause significantly more damage to our transportation infrastructure, costing us billions of dollars that local government budgets simply cannot afford, compromising the very routes that American motorists use every day.” Currently, federal limits are 80,000 pounds in gross vehicle weight. Notably, some states allow heavier trucks on roads that are not a part of the interstate system.
According to the Washington Post, one 40-ton truck can do as much damage to a road as 9,600 cars. And the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks cites a US Department of Transportation study stating that increasing truck weight to 91,000 pounds “would negatively affect more than 4,800 bridges, […]
Read MoreMore information about Department of Transportation
Bipartisan Underride Bill Could Prevent Deadly Crashes
Truck underride bill to require new safety standards
Lawmakers from both parties recently introduced a potentially life-saving bill to mandate that underride guards be installed on the front and sides of large trucks. The Stop Underrides Act of 2017 was introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D- N.Y.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as well as Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.).
Under the current federal law, underride guards are only required for the back of trucks. The proposed bill would also require an update of the outdated standards for underride guards on the rear of a truck. Guards would be required to be tested and would need to prevent a vehicle traveling at 35 mph from sliding under a tractor trailer. The standard would apply to single-unit trucks, semis and trailers weighing more than 10,000 lbs.
The goal of this new legislation is to prevent deadly truck underride crashes. […]
More information about Department of Transportation
Are you a distracted driver?
Distracted driving leads to crashes
Statistics show that traffic fatalities are on the rise. Distracted driving is a contributing factor in many car and truck accidents. In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 injured in vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the Department of Transportation. A driver who texts or uses another device while driving is making a dangerous, possibly deadly choice.
Are you a distracted driver?
If you don’t text and drive, that’s great! That one simple choice can help make the roads safer for everyone and keep you out of harm’s way. But, what about other distractions?
Distracted driving is considered any activity that takes attention away from driving. This not only includes texting or talking on your phone but using other devices as well, such as programming your GPS while driving or browsing through radio stations. […]
Read More
