Statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show that over a five year period, the number of fatalities in accidents involving 18-wheelers remained relatively flat. The number stood at 122 in 2005 to 120 in 2010 - the most recent year complete statistics are available. Beginning in 2006, those numbers spiked alarmingly to 146 then 139 and 133 in 2008. Numbers that pushed Alabama State Troopers to begin their efforts, based on driver focused inspections.
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"We're stopping 18-wheelers, doing more detailed inspections on log books," said Capt. Tim Pullin, with the Alabama State Troopers. "Finding false logs, finding where drivers are driving over the allotted number of hours they're allowed to drive during the day, and in such cases, that we're placing these drivers out of service, and giving them a mandatory break time that they've got to take."Getting high, taking a life
Log books were part of the investigation into a 2003 accident that killed a Georgia teenager, and injured Susanne Esdale, of Birmingham. It happened on Interstate 20 in Talladega County on July 4th weekend.
"I was slowly going down, and the next thing I knew I woke up pinned in my car," Esdale said. "They were cutting the car. "I had a gash on my face. I was very, very sore. And really a different color all over, I was purple."
An 18 wheeler hit her car from behind - moving it 350 feet. It then slammed into the car in front of Esdale - killing a teenager. The vehicle hit five more cars before it finally came to rest.
"The fellow driving the truck....the accident was on the news and they showed him and he was crawling around on all fours that's how high he was on his cocaine," Esdale said.
The driver - Sidney Thomas of North Carolina - was arrested that day for drug possession. Meanwhile, the Alabama Department of Public Safety launched a full traffic homicide investigation - interviewing dozens of witnesses and collecting evidence. WSFA 12 News was able to review the results of that investigation along with other documents that became part of a civil suit against the trucking company - East West Expedited Services of Creedmoor, North Carolina.
Investigators said Thomas admitted to smoking cocaine less than an hour before the crash at a truck stop in Georgia. In later interviews with troopers, he said he did not know if the cocaine he had ingested affected his driving. Troopers said Thomas admitted to being distracted - using a cell phone while driving and reaching for water in the refrigerator. He also said he passed out with his eyes open - story troopers found hard to believe. Thomas later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years sentence in prison.
Attorneys tell WSFA 12 News once the civil lawsuit was filed, they had trouble finding the company's owners. They said that's because the company - a one truck operation - went out of business. Its insurance company was left to pay out two separate million dollar settlements to the multiple plaintiffs in the case.
Marking the logs
Truckers are supposed to account for every single hour on the roads. Thomas could not account for a 12 hour period before the accident. He later told investigators that during that period, he smoked cocaine.
He also told troopers while his truck had no mechanical problems, he did not have the documents to prove it.
The log books are one of the items troopers check as they conduct random inspections along the state's highways. The log books are important - because they can provide clues to one of the leading causes of accidents - driver fatigue.
The results of these random inspections are a sign the trucking industry is taking safety more seriously. Troopers report they're finding fewer violations in the vehicles they stop on the roads.
"And now that we've started doing this driver focused enforcement, we've gone from possibly being right there in the top 10, to being right in the mid pack of the nation, 24 or 25th in cmv related traffic crashes," Capt. Pullin Said.
Making the grade
There are few truck drivers who get in less trouble than Recordo Jackson - the Alabama Trucking Association's driver of the year. He's worked for Charles G. Lawson Trucking in Hope Hull for 24 years. He's never been involved in an accident. For him, safety is second nature.
"In my opinion, it's all in your mind," Jackson said. "If you want to do it, you do it, it's just something you want to do."
His company has a pretty good safety record, too. CEO Billy Rooton said it's a top priority even while it's hard to keep up with all of the regulations.
"It's a lot more complicated," Rooton said. "You have more eyes on you, you have people with cell phones, out on the roads, calling and so forth, so drivers have to be a little more alert.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration scores carrier companies in five categories: unsafe driving, fatigued driving, driver fitness, drug/alcohol and vehicle maintenance. Unlike the grade on a math test or the SAT, the higher the score, the worse a company is doing in a category. Just this month, the FMSCA shut down BM&l Trucking, Inc. based in Athens. It had scores of 90 plus in three of the key categories.
WSFA 12 News found at least a hundred carriers based in Alabama that had scores in the serious threshold when it came to unsafe and fatigued driving. One even had a ninety plus score for drugs and alcohol.
While troopers and federal inspectors have stepped up their safety checks, they can't catch everyone. Susanne Esdale keeps that in mind as she travels highways across the south to see her grandchildren.
"I'm apprehensive, I do pray about it," Esdale said. "And when I arrive at my destination, I'm always thankful."
Passenger drivers have responsibilities
Everyone with spoke with in this story agrees: it's not just the 18 wheeler drivers who are at fault.
- Drivers of passenger vehicles should keep these things in mind:
- Don't follow too closely. The rule of thumb is to allow 10 feet for every 10 miles per hour you're traveling.
- Don't linger in the blind spot. If you can't see a truck's mirrors, the driver can't see you.
- And don't hang out next to an 18 wheeler's tires - the bolts or the tire itself could blow out, which can be very dangerous.
- Above all, no distractions - like texting or even reading while driving.
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source: WFSA (King, 5/23)
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