Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

VP David Palmer testified that this SAFETEA-LU enacted restriction removed a critical tool designed to immediately identify driver and mechanical safety issues.

Motor Carrier Safety Measurement System identified the operators as risky after incidents or investigation showed they exceeded acceptable benchmarks in at least one of five areas: Unsafe driving, driver fatigue, driver fitness, drivers operating while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and vehicle maintenance.

In a letter to U.S. DOT Sec. Ray LaHood, six U.S. Senators pushed for quick implementation of safety standards to prevent fatigued bus drivers from getting behind the wheel after last week’s bus crash in Virginia.

Kei and Mai Maeda’s civil claims in response to the Aug. 9 motorcoach crash near Cedar City, Utah, are the first and possibly the only that will be filed, since other Japanese tourists left the U.S. unaware of their legal rights. The lawsuit claims the driver smoked pot for three hours the night before and had to sustain himself on energy drinks and nicotine gum while driving.