Friday was a big news day for those of us who follow the trucking industry. Some of the news was sad, some was potentially very encouraging.

First, the sad news. The Philadelphia area woke to sad news of a fatal accident that closed the northbound NJ Turnpike early Friday morning. Reports in the press today indicate that a box truck driven by Leonard Doss, and owned by Seafood Connection in Maryland, hit a dump trailer from behind as the truck in front was entering a construction zone. Sadly, Mr. Doss died at the scene and the driver of the truck he hit apparently was not injured. A third truck carrying 8,000 gallons of  kerosene jackknifed as that driver swerved to avoid debris from the impact ahead of him.

Fatal Truck accident on NJ Turnpike

One thing I’ve learned from handling truck cases over the years is that accidents like this have to be investigated carefully to assess all of the factors that led to the collision. Members of the public often assume that the rear-ending vehicle is automatically at fault. Especially when you are dealing with commercial vehicles that have special added duties as professional drivers, you have to carefully examine the actions (or inactions) of the driver in front as well as the rear-ending driver.

On a brighter note, President Obama announced for the first time ever that the government would impose mileage and fuel emission standards on tractor trailers and work vehicles. While this has more to do with fostering innovation in truck design and power units for big rigs, it is still encouraging that this industry will soon become the focus of trying hard to help wean our country on dependence on foreign energy sources.