Shortage of overnight truck parking contributed to deadly Greyhound bus crash, regulators say
Overnight parking for long-haul truckers at interstate rest stops is critically short and was a key contributor to a 2023 Greyhound bus crash in Illinois that killed three people, federal regulators said Tuesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board said driver fatigue and poor company oversight of its drivers also played key roles when the Greyhound bus exited Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp east of St. Louis and struck three semitrailers parked on the shoulder.
Board Chairperson Jennifer Homendy said the crash, which sheared off the right side of the bus and injured 12 aboard, was preventable.
'Our investigation brought to light a critical shortage of safe truck parking and made clear a painful lesson: Until we address this important safety issue, lives are at risk on our nation's roads," she said.
Truck parking on rest stop entrance and exit ramps is illegal, but the ban is seldom enforced because there's insufficient parking for the 13 million rigs on the nation's roads and the federal government electronically monitors truckers' hours on the road and their rest periods.
The board, meeting in Washington, also cited the bus driver's fatigue and 'deficient driver oversight by Greyhound,' including the company's failure to address the driver's 'recurring unsafe driving behaviors,' without elaborating. It also cited poor record-keeping and more.
An email seeking comment was sent to Greyhound.
The westbound bus, with 22 passengers, entered the rest area near Highland, 32 miles (about 51 kilometers) east of St. Louis at 1:48 a.m. on July 12, 2023. It slid along the sides of three trucks parked for the night.
None of the truck drivers was hurt, but three bus passengers were killed and the bus driver and 11 other passengers were injured. Authorities initially said there were 14 injuries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS McLaren pours cold water on bizarre claim that Donald Trump is set to drive one of its F1 cars in secret Austin test
McLaren has poured cold water on a bizarre report that Donald Trump will drive one of its Formula 1 cars in Austin next week. News of the rumor began to spread around the F1 paddock on Saturday afternoon when Canal+ claimed the President was set for an unprecedented drive at the Circuit of the Americas, home of the United States Grand Prix. In a tweet to its 384,000 followers on X, the French broadcaster reported: 'Donald Trump will drive an F1 car next week! 'Info Julien Febreau: The American President will be driving an F1 car in Austin.' When asked by the Daily Mail at the Canadian Grand Prix, a McLaren spokesperson quickly denied there was any truth to the baffling report. Canal+'s post was quickly removed after being widely shared around social media.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Las Vegas agrees two-year F1 extension as sport eyes 'permanent' home on the Strip
Las Vegas looks destined to become a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar, after officials confirmed a new contract has been agreed through to the end of 2027. F1 racing returned to Sin City in 2023 on an initial three-year deal, and while no formal announcement had been made beyond the end of this year, the Vegas race remained on the 2026 schedule when it was announced last week. And now, speaking at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal this weekend, Emily Prazer - president of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and chief commercial officer of F1 - confirmed that a formal agreement is in place to keep racing on the Strip. 'We've agreed collectively that we're going to do a two-year extension for 2026 and 2027,' she said on a panel including high-profile Vegas GP stakeholders from various hotel chains in the city. 'We want to make sure that we're continuing to evolve what we're doing. But the intent is a much longer-term arrangement. As we all know, the race has had its challenges, but we're coming out the other side. So we want to make sure that it continues to work for both sides. 'So collectively, we sat down and agreed that was the best approach. We're very much planning longer-term, but that's kind of where we're at right now.' While two years is the formal arrangement, all members of the panel were keen to stress that Vegas is seen as a long-term destination for F1. Steve Hill - Chief Executive Officer and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority - joked that the race would be around 'for as long as I am... and I don't just mean in this job'. The Vegas race creates 4,500 jobs each year and has turned a quiet weekend in November into one of the city's most lucrative. Initial complaints over the time of the race - with lights out at 10pm local time - have also been answered, with officials moving the start back two hours to 8pm.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ford CEO says rare earths shortage forced it to shut factory
China 's trade leverage temporarily shuttered one of Detroit's biggest brands. Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, said his company doesn't have enough rare-earth magnets, forcing the automaker to halt some production lines. 'It's day to day,' the top boss said in a Friday interview with Bloomberg News. 'We have had to shut down factories. It's hand-to-mouth right now.' Ford's production struggles are part of the ongoing tit-for-tat trade escalation between Washington and Beijing . But the company is expecting relief in the coming weeks. In April, Chinese officials stopped the flow of magnets into the US — a critical component found in nearly every modern car's brake pads, seats, windshield wipers, and batteries. The pause came in response to President Donald Trump 's then-145 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports. The throttled magnet trade threatened to strangle production plants and empty car dealership lots, sending automakers and industry groups into a tizzy. In May, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation — which represents major US automakers — sent a letter to President Trump warning that China's response could paralyze car production. Later that month, workers at Ford's Chicago plant, where the company builds the popular Explorer SUV, were told to go home due to the magnet shortage. But as Ford continues to scramble for parts, the company is now expecting a reopening of the supply spigot. American and Chinese trade negotiators have announced a tentative agreement that lowers tariff rates and resumes magnet exports. The deal includes temporary export licenses for rare-earth suppliers . Those licenses will allow magnet shipments to resume to the top three US automakers — including Ford — as soon as this month. China's President Xi Jinping has not officially signed the deal, but President Trump posted on Truth Social that the agreement was 'done.' Industry analysts confirmed to that rare-earth magnets will likely be exempt from American tariffs under the new deal. Still, as the pipeline starts back up, Farley's announcement underscores China's current leverage over American manufacturing. The US once refined its own rare-earth magnets for vehicle assembly, with facilities operating across dozens of Midwestern states. But 20 years ago, the last domestic refinement plant — located in Indiana — shut down. China, which now controls more than 90 percent of global rare-earth processing capacity, filled the gap. American automakers are now looking elsewhere for supply, including Australia, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. 'Should the US-China trade deal be upheld by both sides, US automakers should be able to secure enough rare earths to continue their production as scheduled,' Seth Goldstein, a vehicle analyst at Morningstar, told 'I would guess all US automakers are looking to secure alternate rare earths supply outside of China as a way to protect themselves from the potential that China may halt exports again in the future.' A representative for Ford didn't immediately respond to request for comment.
