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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, dEcEmbER 28, 2019
Truck crashes declining across Oregon
organization.”
Jarvis and Waylon Buchan, the associa-
tion’s director of government affairs, lobby at
the state and federal level.
In recent years, the biggest change they’ve
seen to improve safety was a federal man-
date to use electronic log books to better track
driver hours and enforce breaks. Before the
2017 mandate, drivers did their logbooks by
hand, allowing some drivers to fudge their
numbers to continue driving and earning.
Jarvis said the trucking association sup-
ported the change.
“We’re always going to have safety as part
of the calculation whether supporting or not
supporting something because ultimately we
want our drivers and passengers on the road to
get home safely,” Jarvis said.
Inspectors aim to educate
By SAM STITES
Oregon capital bureau
Gagandeep Singh was traveling south
on Interstate 5 near Woodburn when smoke
started boiling up from under his Volvo trac-
tor-trailer and filling his driver’s cabin.
He pulled to the shoulder and was out inves-
tigating when a Freightliner tractor-trailer
driven by Rex Hollopeter, 51, of Salem, side-
swiped Singh’s.
Hollopeter’s truck came to a stop block-
ing southbound traffic as both trucks burned
furiously.
The wreck, which hospitalized Hollopeter,
closed the freeway for hours.
Then, another truck accident in the north-
bound lanes snarled traffic even more.
The high-profile crashes in October raised
fresh questions about the safety record of an
ever-increasing number of commercial trucks
rolling down Oregon’s highways.
Yet state data shows that despite the
increasing miles put on by truckers, their acci-
dents rates have held steady and even dipped
in recent years.
In 2008, Oregon saw 2,113 truck crashes,
according to state Department of Transpor-
tation data. In 2018 — the most recent year
for which data is available — there were
just 1,408 crashes. That number is surpris-
ing given that the number of miles traveled by
trucks throughout the state grew by 181 mil-
lion miles over the decade.
Between 2015 and 2018, data shows there
were 5,934 truck crashes. That’s an average
of four crashes a day. The highest annual total
during that period — 1,608 crashes — came
in 2017 when a January blizzard buried and
closed roads across the state.
Truck drivers were at fault in 50% of
crashes, while mechanical issues with the
truck were at fault in just 2% of cases, data
shows.
That means 2,849 crashes were caused by
outside factors, such as other drivers or brutal
weather conditions. ODOT uses police reports
to establish where to place fault. Police put
the blame on drivers for a number of reasons,
but at the top of the list are speeding, failing
to remain in their own lane, following too
closely, improperly changing lanes and failing
to pay attention.
ODOT won’t release numbers for 2019
until all investigations are finalized to deter-
mine fault, but the agency does report its year-
to-date numbers to the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration halfway through the
year.
According to federal data, there were 858
truck crashes in Oregon through June , with 23
fatalities and 289 injuries. The early numbers
are on track to meet or slightly exceed Ore-
gon’s average over the previous five years.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin-
Safety equation
Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau
Weighmaster Tom Avila weighs a Freightliner tractor-trailer as it moves across the scales
located at the Woodburn port of entry.
istration also rates Oregon for its response to
crashes and inspection of trucks. The agency
gave the state a “good” rating on its last
assessment, with a score of 90% or better in
all 10 criteria, including inspection timeliness,
accuracy and completeness. “I think that rat-
ing reflects the importance that safety has in
Oregon. It’s our No. 1 priority across all of
ODOT,” said David House, spokesman for
ODOT’s Motor Carrier Division.
According to House, Oregon’s rating isn’t
about comparing itself to other states, rather
looking at where it can do better in efforts
to educate, train and inspect motor carriers
across the state.
education, engineering of roadways and emer-
gency response,” House said.
In 2016, ODOT adopted a new transporta-
tion safety plan that envisions zero deaths on
Oregon’s roads by 2035. The Motor Carrier
Division is responsible for three of the four
areas crucial to ODOT’s vision: education,
enforcement and emergency response.
Those functions are administered from 173
inspection and weigh stations located through-
out Oregon, but only a handful are open full
time. Those include the ports of entry in Ash-
land, Woodburn, Klamath Falls, Cascade
Locks and Huntington.
The trucking industry is mostly regulated
‘IF SAFETy IS yOuR PRIORITy, THEN ENFORcEmENT
ISN’T AbOuT PuNISHmENT, IT’S AbOuT EducATION.’
David House | spokesman for ODOT’s Motor Carrier Division
A seven-year low
While truck miles traveled continue to
climb, increasing by 10% between 2008 and
2018, Oregon’s truck crash rate is declining,
the state data showed. From 2005 to 2008,
Oregon averaged 1.13 crashes per million
vehicle miles traveled. Between 2015 and
2018, the state’s average dropped to 0.80. Ore-
gon’s crash rate reached its lowest in a decade
at 0.73 in 2018 with more than 1.93 billion
miles traveled by trucks in the state.
All truck at-fault crashes reached a sev-
en-year low in 2018 of just 0.36 crashes per
million vehicle miles travelled.
“It’s encouraging that the (crash) rate isn’t
going up in proportion to vehicle miles trav-
eled, that doesn’t mean we can’t make it bet-
ter and improve things through enforcement,
by the federal government, but licensing and
registration are handled by states. That means
education plays a huge role in the state’s efforts
to continually improve safety.
In that effort, ODOT has a partner in the
Oregon Trucking Associations, the trade orga-
nization of close to 600 members that advo-
cates for Oregon’s truck companies and driv-
ers. The organization also provides training
and information on new rules and regulations
related to safety.
Jana Jarvis, trucking association president,
said that clamping down on distracted driving
is a top priority.
“We work closely with the Motor Car-
rier Division and try to give them feedback
on what see works and doesn’t work,” said
Jarvis. “Safety is the No. 1 priority for our
Enforcement of regulations is also an
important part of ODOT’s safety equation, but
the agency’s attitude toward enforcement has
shifted in recent years from punishing truck-
ers and trucking companies to educating them.
In 2018, the Motor Carrier Division com-
pleted 18,549 inspections and issued more
than 3,500 warnings and citations. That’s
down from the 22,573 inspections completed
in 2016.
By mid-November, the agency had issued
more than 2,900 warnings and citations from
16,516 inspections. Drivers can be cited for
improper maintenance of critical systems,
including brakes or how loads are secured,
weight violations, failure to maintain a med-
ical exam certificate, outdated registration
and not carrying chains when required. Most
of those citations require the driver to fix the
issue within a certain amount of time, others
carry monetary penalties.
According to data, 1 in 5 citations is seri-
ous enough that inspectors place a truck out
of service until fixes can be made on the spot
or the truck towed. That’s on par with national
statistics.
“If safety is your priority, then enforcement
isn’t about punishment, it’s about education,”
House said. “We don’t want to punish you or
put you out of business. We want you to do it
right.”
Jeff Brown, Motor Carrier Division safety
manager, agreed. Instead of bringing a heavy-
handed approach, he instructs his 105 inspec-
tors statewide to encourage drivers to ask
questions.
For Brown, preventing accidents and mas-
sive traffic disruption caused by crashes like
the fiery Woodburn incident begins with those
contacts between inspectors and drivers, where
ODOT can be an ally rather than antagonist.
“I would love to be a resource for every
driver out there to try to help. I think it’s crit-
ical that we do that,” Brown said. “We have
to enforce regulations, and sometimes that’s
unfortunate, but at the same time, the more
informed everyone is out there, the better off
we are.”
Inspections crucial to
state’s ‘vision zero’
By SAM STITES
Oregon capital bureau
WOODBURN — Truck inspections are
the primary tool for preventing accidents
that disrupt Oregon’s highways, hospital-
ize thousands and leave hundreds dead each
year.
The state Department of Transportation
raised the bar for safety in adopting a new
action plan in 2016. The agency envisions a
future with no deaths from traffic accidents
on Oregon’s roads.
While crashes involving commercial
trucks only account for a small portion of
the state’s annual death toll — only 58 of
the 502 fatalities in 2018 involved a truck —
ODOT’s Motor Carrier Division takes seri-
ously the inspection of trucks as a means of
prevention.
The number of vehicle miles traveled by
trucks in Oregon has increased by 181 mil-
lion miles the past decade.
With an increasing number of trucks on
the road, state truck inspectors have become
smarter about how they carry out their work,
using data to target repeat offenders and
keep both trucks and drivers with chronic
issues off the road.
In 2018, state specialists completed
18,549 inspections and issued more than
3,500 citations and warnings.
Through November, there have been
more than 16,500 inspections and 2,900
warnings or citations issued to drivers or
trucking companies this year. A majority of
those inspections are done at ports of entry at
Woodburn, Klamath Falls, Huntington, Ash-
land and Cascade Locks.
Hundreds of thousands of cars pass the
Woodburn truck scales on Interstate 5.
It’s here that inspectors, called compli-
ance specialists, complete random checks on
a variety of criteria from the physical equip-
ment to a driver’s documentation.
The process starts with the 75 weighmas-
ters across the state at roadside scales like
Woodburn.
Weighmasters
Weighmasters use an automated system
that electronically collects data from each
truck that passes under a detector located
about a mile up the freeway.
Tom Avila is one of the weighmasters at
the Woodburn scales. After 14 years, he’s
adept at reading dozens of data points on
several trucks at once as they file past his lit-
tle hut at the weigh station. He sits in front of
two computer monitors displaying details he
needs to know about each truck.
In a matter of seconds, Avila reads who
is driving, where they’re licensed, how long
they’ve been driving, whether their registra-
tion is valid, how much weight each truck
axle is carrying and if the weight matches
their permit. The Woodburn scales are also
piloting a new technology that can tell Avila
whether a tire is flat or if there’s a problem
with an axle so he can alert the driver to pull
over.
The Woodburn scales see approximately
6,000 to 7,000 trucks a day. Between pre-
clearance and simply not having enough
time to weigh every truck, that number is a
small portion of the total trucks rolling by.
Avila works with inspectors like Don
McCloskey, who pull trucks out of line
either by certain type — such as focusing
on those carrying hazardous materials — or
using a formula.
According to Jess Brown, ODOT Motor
Carrier’s central safety unit manager, the
algorithm is crucial to an inspector’s ability
to keep Oregon’s roads safe.
Instead of randomly checking trucks and
stopping drivers who have no violations,
inspectors can target trucks most likely to
have an issue.
“We want to take those trucks and drivers
who are in bad shape off the road,” Brown
said.
McCloskey will ask Avila to flip a switch
that notifies the driver they’re going to be
inspected and to pull around to a large truck
barn located a hundred feet west of the
weigh station.
According to Brown, compliance special-
ists like McCloskey are expected to com-
plete between eight and 10 rigorous inspec-
tions a day. That means they give each truck
a 360-degree sweep, crawling down into a
pit to get underneath, shining flashlights up
into critical systems like brakes and load
securement, checking the driver’s service
and medical records and ensuring registra-
Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau
Brakes and lighting are the two most common issues found in routine inspections completed
by state compliance specialists
tion is in order.
An inspection can take from 30 minutes
to an hour depending on what they find and
how long it takes to discuss with the driver
what needs to be fixed.
Lights and brakes
According to ODOT data, the most com-
mon issues inspectors catch are improper
lights and brake problems. Those account for
nearly half the violations cited by inspectors.
Some violations are considered critical
enough to put a truck or driver temporarily
out of service, meaning the problem either
has to be fixed on the spot, the truck towed
or escorted to a mechanic. Those include
any mechanical or load tie-down problems
determined likely to cause an accident or
breakdown.
Those account for 23% of all viola-
tions issued by the Motor Carrier Division,
slightly higher than the national average of
20%.
Driver violations severe enough to force
them off the road, such as driving over the
allotted 11-hours in a 24-hour period or
failing to maintain a commercial driver’s
license, account for 14% of all out-of-ser-
vice violations.
“Motor Carrier has had a very strong per-
formance for a long time, and we take acci-
dents incredibly serious,” Brown said. “It’s
one of the things that drew me to this job
is the ability to prevent people from getting
hurt.”
But an increasing number of trucks and
the same number of inspectors each year
means the Motor Carrier Division heavily
relies on technology to make sure they’re
catching those factors that could cause a
crash.
According to Brown, data from ODOT’s
Crash Analysis Reporting Unit shows that
in many cases, driver behavior — speeding,
following to close, improper lane change,
failing to yield, inattention — accounts
for a majority of the truck at-fault crashes
throughout that state.
The division relies heavily on the Oregon
State Police to catch problems. Many state
troopers are trained to inspect trucks, often
done on the side of a highway.
Troopers also keep an eye out for impaired
truck drivers. In 2016, the most recent year
data is available, 90 drivers were caught
under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Inspections, however, don’t always result
in citations, according to Brown. In fact,
compliance specialists are inclined to use
inspections as teachable moments so drivers
learn what they need to fix or how to prevent
issues from recurring.
“I encourage all of my folks when they’re
doing inspections, whether it’s a driver from
Oregon, Nebraska, Maine or California, to
give them their business card so they contact
them if they have questions,” Brown said.
“The more informed everyone is out there
the better.”
The Oregon capital bureau is a collab-
oration between EO media Group, Pamplin
media Group and Salem Reporter.