For the second year, the Maryland Transportation Department is backing legislation that would hold trucking companies and drivers more responsible for safety violations such as poorly secured loads and overweight rigs.

The Washington Post reports that under the proposal, a company that loads cargo improperly could face a $10,000 fine if the cargo causes an accident that leaves someone seriously injured or dead. If it is a second offense, the fine could be as much as $25,000. And drivers responsible for fatalities could face jail time.
Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari last week testified before state legislators in support of the proposal. "Drivers should be able to assume the trucks driving next to them on the highway have been carefully inspected and are operating safely," he said. Porcari pointed out two high-profile fatal crashes involving unsafe trucks. In 1999, improperly secured cargo on a flatbed truck struck and collapsed a pedestrian bridge. Although one person died and three others were seriously injured, the fine for the improperly loaded truck was only $880. In 2000, faulty brakes on a landscaping truck caused a crash with a school bus, killing the bus driver. The truck driver paid $1,600 in fines, and the two trucking companies paid $5,000 each.
Opponents, however, note that trucking companies already have a big financial incentive to run safe trucks: lawsuits. Other critics of the bill worry that drivers could end up in jail simply for following the orders of their supervisors. The Teamsters note that the bill gives no protection to drivers from retaliation if they refuse to drive an unsafe vehicle. Another concern is that drivers or truck owners would be at the mercy of overzealous inspectors. The chairman of the committee that heard testimony on the measure said he was "sure there are inspectors out there who could come up with a problem on any truck."