FMCSA’s stats show disturbing trend since ELD mandate

Large truck fatal crashes decreased in 2020. However, when you consider the major decline in traffic because of the pandemic, the 4,444 deadly crashes maintain a dangerous trend.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Pocket Guide to Large Truck and Bus Statistics was released in December, providing final numbers for 2020.

Technically, the number of large truck fatal crashes fell from 4,502 in 2019 to 4,444 in 2020. But 2020 still produced the third most deadly crashes involving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds in the past 11 years.

The crash stats have moved in the wrong direction since FMCSA began full enforcement of the electronic logging device mandate in 2018.

The number of large truck fatal crashes since 2015:

• 2015 – 3,622
• 2016 – 4,177
• 2017 – 4,367
• 2018 – 4,461
• 2019 – 4,502
• 2020 – 4,444

ELD mandate

Many truck drivers contend that the ELD mandate actually hinders safety by making truck drivers feel rushed as they are regulated to the second.

Last year, FMCSA issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking that considered expanding the ELD mandate to include trucks with pre-2000 engines.

Opposing the change, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association told the agency that there is no evidence that ELDs have improved highway safety.

“Our members have vigorously opposed the ELD mandate since its inception,” OOIDA wrote in comments signed by President Todd Spencer. “There was never sufficient research indicating the mandate would improve highway safety, and the agency still lacks data demonstrating any positive safety results since its full implementation.”

The Association said the statistics give no reason for the agency to consider expanding the mandate.

“The agency lacks data confirming the ELD mandate has improved highway safety and has failed to demonstrate how the expansion of existing requirements to vehicles operating on pre-2000 and rebuilt pre-2000 engines would enhance safety,” the Association wrote. “OOIDA is unaware of any research that demonstrates vehicles operating under the pre-2000 exemption fail to meet the same level of safety as vehicles with ELDs.”

And while efforts to improve highway safety often involve creating more regulations for commercial motor vehicles, it is worth noting that trucks aren’t to blame for the majority of crashes. According to 2019 statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 90.6% of truck drivers involved in fatal crashes did not receive a moving violation. Even more, 67.1% of the truck drivers in these crashes had no driver-related factors, such as speeding, fatigue, failure to yield or distracted driving. Meanwhile, only 40% of passenger vehicle drivers in these crashes had no driver-related factors cited to them. LL