TRAA News

• Towing Industry Sends Strong Response

  • Tuesday, August 13, 2024
  • | Posted by TRAA Office

  The dog days of summer have been an active period for the towing industry – if not an unprecedented one. Following the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) public hearing at the end of June, the agency held the public record open until August 1st to allow interested parties to submit comments for the record. TRAA would like to thank the following 18 state associations for submitting comments: California Colorado Idaho Illinois Indiana Maryland Michigan Minnesota Montana New Jersey North Carolina Oregon Pennsylvania Texas Virginia Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming   It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of this level of engagement. A few short years ago, TRAA and the towing industry had a small and sporadic engagement with policy makers in Washington DC. Today, we have a large and growing annual fly-in, had robust industry engagement at the public hearing and in comments submitted, and consistent follow up with Congressional offices. TRAA is leveraging your engagement to reach out to your Congressional offices to make sure they are aware of the submitted comments.   This level of engagement has already shown successes. In their public comments the American Trucking Association (ATA) supported TRAA's suggestion of a FMCSA task force:   “It is ATA's understanding that the Towing and Recovery Association of America, Inc. (TRAA) has encouraged the creation of a Tow Services Transparency Task Force (TSTTF). The TRAA likens the TSTTF to the USDOT's Truck Leasing Task Force (TLTF), which consists of members representing commercial motor carriers, owner-operators, consumer protection groups, attorneys, and other stakeholders in the trucking leasing industry. ATA supports the creation of and would welcome participation in such a task force. ATA does agree that the involvement of the USDOT and/or the FMCSA in a task force would be worthwhile and would assist in identifying areas of common ground among the stakeholders and best practices to assist commercial motor carriers, truck drivers, and T&R Companies in navigating the nonconsensual tow and recovery process.”   The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) also supported the idea and wants to participate. Simply put, TRAA is leading the way.   We are hearing that the final “Junk Fee” Rule could be released as early as this month. And while the fight is an uphill battle, we continue to engage with the FTC and our friends in Congress on the issue.   And while this has been our focus, we continue to engage on other issues that impact the industry. Earlier this month, TRAA learned through our partners on the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) that Representatives Dusty Johnson and Jim Costa distributed an electronic “Dear Colleague Letter” asking House members to sign a letter addressed to Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries asking them to support bringing H.R. 3372 (the “Pilot Project” to allow for larger trucks) to the floor for a vote. TRAA is against the bill and, along with our partners in opposition to this effort, will continue following-up with T&I member offices in the coming weeks.   We will continue to advocate on behalf of the industry as it relates to the “Junk Fee” Rule and beyond and keep you apprised of any significant developments. Please do not hesitate to contact TRAA with any questions.    Sincerely, David J. Garriepy Vice President, Government Affairs Tremont Strategies Group (TSG)

• Research Results: Countermeasures for Distracted Driving

  • Tuesday, July 30, 2024
  • | Posted by TRAA Office

  As roadside responders, towers know that distracted driving is a serious problem. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that 91,000 police-reported crashes resulting in 50,000 injuries and 800 fatalities annually—amounting to approximately 1%–2% of all crashes, injuries, and deaths—involve drowsy driving. In a new report summary titled "Countermeasures for Distracted Driving: An Exploration Beyond the Scientific Literature" the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety presents a comprehensive review of current efforts by national, state, local, and international organizations at implementing countermeasures to address driver distraction.   Findings from the foundational interviews revealed that distracted driving is likely to be underestimated, underprioritized, underfunded, and difficult to evaluate. Additional challenges identified by the interviewees include the following:    Most distracted driving countermeasures (including legislation) focus solely on specific cellphone-use behaviors. Distracted driving countermeasures, as implemented, most often involve education, though some interviewees noted a lack of effectiveness for education alone. Enforcement is often perceived as the most effective countermeasure but not feasible for most organizations. Misunderstanding of the Safe System approach (by both practitioners and the public) may limit the necessary redundancy of implementation efforts.   Key Findings   General recommendations and opportunities for the development, implementation, and promotion of distracted driving countermeasures include (listed in the order they are presented in the report):   Expand the range of distracted driving behaviors targeted by countermeasures beyond cellphone use. Extend the targeting of distracted driving countermeasures beyond young drivers. Continue the development of smartphone-based distracted driving countermeasures. Strengthen educational/behavioral distracted driving countermeasures by incorporating constructs of behavioral change theory that are known to be effective in changing other risky behaviors. Expand the framing of educational/behavioral countermeasures to include non-risk-related messaging. Focus on educating law enforcement on the value of enforcing distracted driving laws. Promote the use of objective measures of general driving and distracted driving in the development and evaluation of distracted driving countermeasures. Clarify among distracted driving stakeholders the importance of outcome evaluations that measure changes in behavior in understanding the effectiveness of distracted driving countermeasures. Develop a consistent and coordinated branding of distracted driving prevention efforts across jurisdictions. Increase the visibility of the National Distracted Driving Coalition and other existing alliances that address distracted driving. Address safety culture and the Safe System Approach in efforts to reduce distracted driving. Develop a Safe System Approach toolkit with easy-to-understand strategies and materials for implementing efforts to address distracted driving. Consider the necessary and realistic financial and human resources as a fundamental component in distracted driving efforts. Ensure that underserved and low-income communities have the resources to implement and engage in distracted driving countermeasures.   TRAA appreciates the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety for conducting this valuable research. We look forward to seeing the results of their next study. For more information visit: AAAFoundation.org. Molnar, L.J., Zakrajsek, J.S., Zanier, N., St. Louis, R.M. & Eby, D.W. (2024). Countermeasures for Distracted Driving: An Exploration Beyond the Scientific Literature (Technical Report). Washington, D.C.: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

• TRAA Represents Industry at National Senior Executive Transportation & Public Safety Summit

  • Tuesday, July 23, 2024
  • | Posted by TRAA Office

  Last month, traffic incident management (TIM) stakeholders from across the country convened in DC for FHWA's 4th Senior Executive Transportation and Public Safety Summit focusing on The Future of Traffic Incident Management (TIM). William Johnson, TRAA President, Joanne Blyton, TRAA Past President, Chad Yarbrough, TRAA 4th VP, Linda Unruh, TRAA Associate Member Representative, and Cynthia Martineau, TRAA Executive Director, were proud to represent the industry.   The summit was an opportunity to explore and discuss the responder community's shared vision for TIM moving forward and included discussions about the importance of maintaining the interdisciplinary nature of the National TIM Training Program, potential options for funding and building a TIM training workforce, and the importance of getting TIM training mandated for every responder discipline. For example, many municipal and state towing contracts now require towers to be TIM trained. William Johnson sat as an expert on a panel discussing the Strategic Vision for the National TIM Training Program. Joanne Blyton and Linda Unruh served as content experts during several breakout sessions and Cynthia Martineau facilitated a breakout session on Towing-Related Laws and Policies.   TRAA was also proud to assist FHWA with securing Congressman Jim McGovern as the summit's keynote speaker. Congressman McGovern is passionate about roadway safety having introduced and secured passage of the National Move Over Law Resolution (H. Res. 1463) in 2022. He has since reintroduced the resolution in the 118th Congress to keep roadway safety at the forefront of everyone's mind and is a tireless champion of the nation's towing industry.   Participation in these influential events furthers both the industry's professionalism and the perception of other industry stakeholders. Time and resources well-spent!