Letter to Chairman DeFazio on Infrastructure Bill

May 18, 2021

The Honorable Peter DeFazio

Chairman

Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure

U.S. House of Representatives

Dear Chairman DeFazio:

On behalf of our volunteers, survivors of large truck crashes and the families of victims, we urge you to prioritize safety in the Infrastructure bill. Last Congress, H.R. 2, included several important provisions that would improve safety on our roads. We thank you for your continued support of truck safety, and urge you to maintain, modify, or add the following provisions as you draft the Infrastructure bill for the 117th Congress.

Updating the minimum insurance for large trucks. (Sec. 4408 of H.R. 2) – MAINTAIN.

Increasing the minimum amount of insurance required for commercial motor vehicles and directing this amount to be adjusted for inflation by FMCSA every five years will improve safety by removing unsafe companies from our roads. It will also help ensure that families do not face insurmountable financial issues when the costs of their truck crash go uncovered by companies that have the current minimum of $750,000, which was set in 1980.

Underride protection. (Sec. 4405 of H.R. 2) – MAINTAIN.

Improving underride protections will save lives and prevent injuries. These types of crashes have been a known safety issue for decades. This language will help modernize our protection efforts against rear underride crashes and help us learn more about the safety benefits of side underride guards.

Automatic emergency braking. (Sec. 4404 of H.R. 2) – MODIFY (Replace with Safe Roads Act).

We strongly support requiring automatic emergency braking on all large trucks but recognize that there is insufficient data to require this technology on medium-duty trucks (10,000 – 26,000 pounds). We urge the committee to replace this Section 4404 with Congressman Hank Johnson’s Safe Roads Act. This legislation accounts for the differences between types of large trucks and would require immediate action on truck-tractors while directing the DOT to get much-needed research on AEB in other large trucks. This language is supported by safety and trucking industry groups.

Speed limiters. – ADD (Include S. 3005, Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act).

Speed limiters are a proven technology that provide both safety and environmental benefits. This technology, which is already in most class 7 & 8 trucks, prevent high-speed crashes involving the heaviest vehicles on our roads. Moreover, setting speed limiters would immediately reduce to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by large truck because they would be capped at a more fuel-efficient speed. We urge you to include the text of the bipartisan bill, S. 3005 (116th Congress), which is supported by safety and trucking industry groups.

Compliance, safety, accountability. (Sec. 4202 of H.R. 2) – MAINTAIN.

Reliable and public data is key to identifying unsafe actors and holding companies accountable for their safety records. Restoring the public’s access to data and issuing a safety fitness determination rule will improve hiring standards and accountability throughout the supply chain.

Entry-level driver training. (Sec. 4303 of H.R. 2) – MAINTAIN.

The entry level driver training rule has been delayed for too long. This language will help mitigate further delays for this life-saving rule. We continue to support requiring a minimum number of hours behind the wheel.

Driver detention time. (Sec. 4304 of H.R. 2). – MAINTAIN.

Learning more about driver detention time will improve safety. This unfair practice is also unsafe as it incentivizes drivers to engage in dangerous behaviors such as speeding.

Truck leasing task force. (Sec. 4305 of H.R. 2) – MAINTAIN.

Similar to unpaid detention time, lease-purchase agreements can lead to untenable financial situations that incentivize dangerous operations of a truck.

Screening for obstructive sleep apnea. (Sec. 4308 of H.R. 2) – MAINTAIN.

Sleep apnea affects many truck drivers and presents a serious risk to all drivers on our roads. Crashes that are ultimately caused by sleep apnea are preventable. We support efforts to finalize a rule to establish screening criteria for obstructive sleep apnea among commercial vehicle drivers.

Safe parking for truck drivers. – ADD (Include H.R. 2187, Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act)

Truck drivers need safe and available truck parking. Increasing funding for the construction and modification of truck parking facilities will help address a shortage of parking spots for our nation’s truck drivers.

We thank you for your consideration of these important provisions and hope that we can continue working with you and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to make trucking and our roads safer.

The Institute for Safer Trucking