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Chicago Tribune
31 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chris Spear: America's truckers need a place to park — before it's too late
Every day, more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers keep America's economy on the move. They haul more than 73% of the nation's freight, ensuring that food reaches our shelves, medicine arrives at hospitals and manufacturers stay in business. But there's one thing many drivers can't count on at the end of a long shift: a safe place to park. For every 11 truck drivers on the road today, there is one truck parking space. When truck drivers are unable to find safe, authorized parking, they're stuck in a no-win situation — forced to either park in unsafe or illegal locations, or to violate federal hours-of-service rules that regulate their daily drive time to search for safer, legal alternatives. Many spend upward of an hour each day searching for parking — time that's unpaid and amounts to an average of $6,800 in lost compensation each year. In the worst cases, they're forced to park on highway shoulders, exit ramps or vacant lots, putting themselves and other motorists at serious risk. Delays in deliveries increase costs for businesses and consumers alike. Worst of all, the parking shortage contributes to thousands of accidents and dozens of fatalities each year. One of those avoidable tragedies occurred in 2023, when a Greyhound bus struck three semitrailers parked on the shoulder of an Interstate 70 rest area ramp in Illinois, killing three passengers on board the bus. In the agency's report on the accident released just a few weeks ago, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy put the cause bluntly: '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.' For policymakers and business leaders alike, the message is clear: If we want our supply chains to remain resilient and our roads to remain safe, we must invest in truck parking infrastructure. More designated rest areas. More capacity at existing facilities. Smarter deployment of real-time parking information systems. Last month, President Donald Trump's administration took a major step toward addressing this crisis, issuing project agreements to move forward more than $275 million in grant funding to expand truck parking access nationwide. Among the projects funded is nearly $180 million targeted at the Interstate 4 corridor in Florida, which will add 917 much needed parking spots across Volusia, Seminole and Osceola counties. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's leadership, backed by Trump's commitment to the trucking industry, is a clear signal that Washington is finally listening. By increasing funding specifically targeted toward truck parking, they are addressing one of the most pressing and solvable challenges our industry faces. Congress can protect American motorists by passing the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Illinois Rep. Mike Bost that would authorize $755 million in dedicated funding over four years to expand truck parking capacity. These funds could have prevented tragedies such as the 2009 murder of New York truck driver Jason Rivenburg, who was shot and killed for the $7 sitting on the dashboard of his truck while parked in an abandoned lot he used out of desperation for rest. The $200 million allocated to truck parking in the House transportation appropriations bill released last week is a welcome start to preventing similar tragedies. A dedicated federal funding stream, paired with state-level grant programs, would cut through the red tape that often sidelines critical parking projects. These resources must be allocated in a targeted, flexible way that allows states to build, expand and modernize truck parking across freight corridors and logistics hubs. It's not enough to authorize projects — we must fund them with real dollars that reflect the scale and urgency of the problem. Accounting for 87% of truck parking spaces, the private sector plays a vital role in providing parking, but it cannot solve this alone. Market forces don't always align with safety and infrastructure needs. Truck stops face high land and development costs, and zoning hurdles often block new projects. That's why a public-private solution is not only prudent. It's essential. Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack has proved himself a staunch advocate who was instrumental in including $200 million toward expanding trucking parking in last year's House transportation appropriations subcommittee funding bill. We need more champions like Womack in Congress who will help prioritize and accelerate funding, treating truck parking as the safety and commerce issue it is, rather than an afterthought. Truckers don't ask for much. They don't expect luxury accommodations or special treatment. What they do expect — and deserve — is a safe place to stop after moving America's economy day and night. Let's make sure they have it. Chris Spear is president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations.
Daily Record
a day ago
- General
- Daily Record
Pilot's chilling premonition minutes before horror crash killed all board
All 49 people on board the Colgan Air Flight 3407 perished, as did one person on the ground, after the plane crashed into a house on February 12, 2009 in Buffalo, New York When Colgan Air Flight 3407 departed from Newark, New Jersey bound for Buffalo, New York, the 49 passengers on board were oblivious to the tragic fate that awaited them. On 12 February 2009, the Colgan Air aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall and crashed into a house, resulting in the death of all 49 individuals on board and one person on the ground. A cockpit voice recorder transcript released by the National Transportation Safety Board reveals the chilling final words of Captain Marvin Renslow, followed by a scream from his co-pilot, First Officer Rebecca Shaw, recorded just seconds before the fatal crash. In the moments leading up to the catastrophic accident, as they neared Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Renslow and Shaw can be heard discussing the First Officer's career and expressing their concerns about flying in icy weather conditions. Shortly thereafter, the twin-engine turboprop Dash 8-Q400 Bombardier experienced an aerodynamic stall and plummeted into a house, causing devastating destruction and loss of life, reports the Express. In the cockpit transcript made public by the Safety Board, Renslow and Shaw are first heard discussing the amount of ice accumulating on their wings. This conversation took place less than seven minutes prior to the crash, as their plane descended from 6,000 to 4,000 feet while approaching Buffalo on a frosty night. Shaw observed, "it's lots of ice," prompting Renslow to respond, "Oh yeah that's the most I've seen, most ice I've seen on the leading edges in a long time, in a while anyway I should say." Renslow then mentioned he'd clocked up roughly 625 hours flying in the area prior to joining Colgan Air. Shaw replied: "I really wouldn't mind going through a winter in the Northeast before I have to upgrade to captain. I've never seen icing conditions. I've never de-iced. I've never seen any. I've never experienced any of that. I don't want to have to experience that and make those kinds of calls. You know I would've freaked out. I would've like seen this much ice and thought, 'Oh my gosh, we were going to crash.'". Addressing Shaw's concerns, Renslow responded: "I would've been fine. I would have survived it. There wasn't, we never had to make decisions that I wouldn't have been able to make but.. now I'm more comfortable." As the crew deploys the undercarriage and modifies the flaps, a noise resembling the flap handle's operation is captured at precisely 10:16.26 pm, with Shaw audibly uttering, "Uhhh." Within a fraction of a second, the cockpit records sounds matching the stick shaker - an alert delivered via the control stick indicating the aircraft is nearing an aerodynamic stall. The warning persisted for a duration of 6.7 seconds, and was soon followed by the distinct sound of a horn, signalling that the autopilot had been disconnected. This tone carried on without interruption for the rest of the cockpit recording. Approximately three seconds after the stick shaker was activated, a clicking noise was heard, along with a noticeable increase in engine power. At precisely 10:16.34. 8 pm, Captain Renslow's voice is captured as he exclaims, "Jesus Christ." Subsequently, First Officer Shaw communicates that she has retracted the flaps and queries whether to raise the landing gear too, eliciting Renslow's response: "Gear up, oh (expletive)." Amid escalating sounds and commotion within the cockpit, Renslow declares: "We're down." This is followed by a thud, and Shaw utters "we" - her words cut off by a harrowing scream. The transcript concludes at this point, at 10:16.52 pm. Further insights were provided by documents from the Safety Board, which disclosed that a training instructor had described Renslow as initially "was slow learning" the Dash 8 aircraft, but noted an improvement towards the end of his training. The same instructor also mentioned that Renslow had faced challenges in familiarising himself with the flight management system of this specific model and had difficulties adapting to the different control positions, which were contrary to what he had been accustomed to on another type of aircraft. Nevertheless, the instructor spoke highly of Renslow's decision-making capabilities, labelling them as very good. Cogan Air was compelled to admit Renslow's training on the aircraft did not cover simulations or demonstrations of the plane's stick-pusher system. A stick-pusher is designed to automatically activate when an aircraft is on the verge of stalling, pushing the nose down into a dive to gain speed and enable the pilot to safely recover control. However, during Flight 3407's descent towards Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Renslow contravened standard procedure by pulling back on the control column as the stick-pusher activated, in an attempt to lift the nose and halt the dive. The correct response would have been to push forward to increase speed. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that pilot error and inadequate training were the primary causes of the catastrophic crash. It was determined that the pilots had responded "inappropriately" to stall warnings, leading to disrupted airflow over the wings and a swift drop in altitude. As a result, the pilot lost command of the aircraft, which crashed into a house merely five miles from the end of the runway. This calamity prompted the grieving families of those who perished to take decisive steps, culminating in the introduction of new safety measures in the commercial aviation industry. The legislation enacted in 2010 brought about more stringent crew rest requirements, limitations on duty time, and required airlines to disclose the operator of each flight. Moreover, a database has been set up to guarantee that pilots amass over 1,500 flying hours before they are certified to fly an aircraft.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Pilot's two horrifying final words before plane crash killed all on board
The Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash took the lives of 49 people on board, as well as one person on the ground - now, the pilot's chilling last words have been revealed When Colgan Air Flight 3407 departed from Newark, New Jersey bound for Buffalo, New York, the 49 passengers on board were oblivious to the tragic fate that awaited them. On February 12, 2009, the Colgan Air aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall and plummeted into a house, claiming the lives of all 49 people on board and one individual on the ground. A cockpit voice recorder transcript released by the National Transportation Safety Board reveals Captain Marvin Renslow's haunting final words, followed by a terrified scream from his co-pilot, First Officer Rebecca Shaw, recorded just seconds before the catastrophic crash. In the moments preceding the fatal accident, as they neared Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Renslow and Shaw can be heard discussing the First Officer's career and expressing their apprehension about flying in icy conditions. Shortly after, the twin-engine turboprop Dash 8-Q400 Bombardier experienced an aerodynamic stall and crashed into a house, resulting in devastating destruction and loss of life, reports the Express. In the cockpit transcript provided by the Safety Board, Renslow and Shaw are first heard discussing the amount of ice accumulating on their wings. This conversation occurred less than seven minutes prior to the crash, as their plane descended from 6,000 to 4,000 feet on its approach to Buffalo on a frosty night. Shaw observed, "it's lots of ice," prompting Renslow to respond, "Oh yeah that's the most I've seen, most ice I've seen on the leading edges in a long time, in a while anyway I should say." Renslow then mentioned he'd clocked up roughly 625 hours flying in the area prior to joining Colgan Air. Shaw replied: "I really wouldn't mind going through a winter in the Northeast before I have to upgrade to captain. I've never seen icing conditions. I've never de-iced. I've never seen any. I've never experienced any of that. I don't want to have to experience that and make those kinds of calls. You know I would've freaked out. I would've like seen this much ice and thought, 'Oh my gosh, we were going to crash.'". Renslow then addressed Shaw's concerns: "I would've been fine. I would have survived it. There wasn't, we never had to make decisions that I wouldn't have been able to make but.. now I'm more comfortable." As the crew deployed the landing gear and modified the flaps, a noise similar to the flap handle's movement was captured at precisely 10:16.26 pm, with Shaw audibly saying, "Uhhh." Within a second, the cockpit registered sounds matching the stick shaker - an alert sent through the control stick indicating the aircraft was nearing an aerodynamic stall. The warning persisted for 6.7 seconds before a distinct horn signalled the autopilot's disengagement, with the tone carrying on throughout the cockpit recording. A mere three seconds after the stick shaker was activated, a click and the engines' thrust increasing were audible. At 10:16.34. 8 pm, Captain Renslow is heard exclaiming, "Jesus Christ." Subsequently, First Officer Shaw reports that she has raised the flaps and queries whether to retract the landing gear, to which Renslow urgently replies: "Gear up, oh (expletive)." Amid escalating sounds and noise in the cockpit, Renslow declares: "We're down." This is followed by a thump, and Shaw utters "we" before a harrowing scream cuts through. The transcript concludes at 10:16.52 pm. Safety Board documents also disclosed insights from a training instructor who noted that initially, Renslow "was slow learning" the Dash 8 but later showed improvement. The instructor mentioned Renslow's challenges with the aircraft's flight management system and his adjustment to switch positions, contrasting with his experience on another type of aircraft. Nevertheless, the instructor commended Renslow's decision-making skills as very good. Cogan Air was also compelled to admit that Renslow's aircraft training hadn't covered a simulation or demonstration of the plane's stick-pusher mechanism. A stick-pusher automatically kicks in when an aircraft approaches a stall, pushing the plane's nose downward into a dive so it can gain sufficient speed for the pilot to steer it towards a safe recovery. However, during Flight 3407's descent to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Renslow defied correct protocol and yanked back on the control column when the stick-pusher activated, allegedly attempting to lift the nose and halt the dive. The proper procedure involves pushing forward to increase speed. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that pilot error and inadequate training caused the devastating crash. The pilots were found to have responded "inappropriately" to stall alerts, which created turbulent airflow across the wing and a swift loss of height. As a result, the pilot lost command and the aircraft crashed into a house merely five miles from the runway's edge. The disaster prompted grieving families of the casualties to take determined action, leading to the introduction of fresh safety rules in the commercial aviation industry. The 2010 law brought in tougher crew rest demands, duty time restrictions, and required airlines to disclose the operator of each flight. Moreover, a database was set up to guarantee that pilots rack up over 1,500 flying hours before they're deemed qualified to fly an aircraft.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Bloomberg
Air India Crash Reporting Is ‘Premature,' NTSB's Homendy Says
The head of the US National Transportation Safety Board said it's too soon to draw conclusions about what caused the deadly crash of an Air India jetliner following reports that the captain of the plane likely moved switches that control the flow of fuel to the engines. 'Investigations of this magnitude take time,' NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Friday in a post to social media platform X. She called recent media reports 'premature and speculative,' without providing any specifics on what exactly she was referring to.
Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
One dead and two injured as plane crashes in popular US national park
A small plane crashed in a remote area of Olympic National Park in Washington state, leaving one person dead and two injured. The Murphy SR3500 Moose carrying three people dropped in the Quinault area of the national park on Tuesday evening. National Park Service officials described the crash site as 'a forested, steep slope' north of the Irely Lake Trailhead. 'Rangers immediately coordinated a response with Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Search and Rescue,' stated the park service. All three victims were rushed to a nearby trauma center. One died and the other two received medical treatment. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. It is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Authorities have not identified the victims. Olympic National Park in Port Angeles was the tenth most visited national park in the US in 2023, with 2.95 million visitors, according to the outdoors company KÜHL. 'With its incredible range of precipitation and elevation, diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park,' states the park service. More Trending 'Encompassing nearly a million acres, the park protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline.' The crash happened more than two months after a tour van with 14 occupants collided with a pickup truck near Yellowstone National Park and burst into flames. Two witnesses on a highway managed to rescue eight people from the smoking van including a child. The driver and six passengers were killed. And in 2019, a tour bus with 30 people on board crashed near a highway rest stop close to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, killing at least four people and leaving several others seriously injured. The canyon is famous for its narrow red-hued spires and is about 300 miles south of Salt Lake City. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Doctors diagnose Trump with chronic vein problem after noticing swelling in his legs MORE: UK's busiest airports raise drop off fees – here's how much they cost now MORE: More than 20 surrogate children taken into care after parents tricked birth mums
