The Motor Freight Carriers Assn. (MFCA) has pledged to encourage the nation's truck drivers to fasten their safety belts.

"We are honored to associate our organization with the efforts of U.S. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta and FMCSA Administrator Annette Sandberg to increase awareness within the truck driver community on the need to buckle up," said Timothy P. Lynch, president and CEO of the MFCA. "We applaud their efforts to develop an outreach and educational campaign that will save lives and improve highway safety. We accept their challenge for our industry to buckle up."
DOT has just released a study, "Safety Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Drivers," that found only 48% of CMV drivers fasten their safety belts. "We can do better," said Lynch. "Safety belt use is the single most effective strategy a person can employ to prevent deaths and injuries," added Lynch.
MFCA will build on programs already established by its member companies to encourage safety belt use. All MFCA member companies currently have a Buckle Up policy and hold safety training sessions and workshops throughout the year that focus on safety belt use, both at work and at home.
Examples of MFCA company programs include:
-- Teamster drivers deliver the Buckle Up messages throughout their communities by holding highway safety seminars and Sharing the Road Safely events;
-- Buckle Up messages are incorporated into No-Zone events geared toward new or young drivers, where the Teamster drivers focus on teaching by setting an example;
-- Buckle Up messages are placed on billboards in and around company facilities;
-- A trailer travels around the U.S. that displays a "Protect Your Children - Buckle Up America" message in both English and Spanish;
-- Developing PSA's with state and local law enforcement on the importance of safety belts.
"Although MFCA member companies have been pro-active on safety belt use, there is always an opportunity to continue developing new programs and improving the usage throughout the industry," Lynch said.
MFCA is the national trade association representing the unionized less-than-truckload industry. The member companies -- ABF Freight System, New Penn Motor Express, Roadway Express, USF Holland, and Yellow Transportation -- are among the oldest trucking companies in the United States. MFCA companies employ more than 42,000 Teamster truck drivers -- all of whom have hazardous materials endorsements. They pick up and deliver cargo for more than 2.5 million customers in all 50 states and transport 26.3 million tons of freight over 2.2 billion miles each year.
MFCA is on the Internet at www.mfca.org.