The Board of Directors of the American Trucking Associations Tuesday voted to expand the organization's aggressive safety agenda.


During ATA's annual Management Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, the board voted to adopt 18 recommendations made by the organization's Safety Task Force established earlier this year. The new safety policies are designed to result in improved performance of both commercial and non-commercial drivers, safer vehicles and safer motor carriers:

1. Policy on the use of non-integrated technologies while the vehicle is in motion

2. Policy supporting uniform commercial drivers license (CDL) testing standards

3. Support for a CDL graduated licensing study

4. Support for additional parking facilities for trucks

5. Support for a national maximum 65mph speed limit

6. Strategies to increase the use of seat belts

7. Support for a national car-truck driver behavior improvement program

8. Support for increased use of red light cameras and automated speed enforcement

9. Support for graduated licensing in all states for non-commercial teen drivers

10. Support for more stringent laws to reduce drinking and driving

11. Support for targeted electronic speed governing of certain non-commercial vehicles

12. Electronic speed governing of all large trucks made since 1992

13. Support for new large truck crashworthiness standards

14. Support for a national employer notification system

15. Creation of a national clearinghouse for positive drug and alcohol test results of CDL holders

16. Support for a national registry of certified medical examiners

17. Policy supporting access to the national Driver Information Resource

18. Support for required safety training by new entrant motor carriers

ATA has long pursued a safety agenda including: promoting greater safety belt use by commercial drivers, re-instituting a national maximum speed limit, speed governing of all new trucks, and a decade long initiative to create a national clearinghouse for drug and alcohol test results.