Truck Safety: Time to Get in Gear

The disclosure of even more Caltrans errors in approving routes for oversized trucks underlines the need for greater oversight and increased urgency at the agency.

State officials had acknowledged seven accidents involving trucks allowed to take roads with bridges too low for the vehicles to pass. In one accident, the driver of a car following the truck was killed. But this month a legislative hearing produced the news that the actual number was 14 accidents, twice Caltrans’ original number.

The higher tally came after California Highway Patrol supervisors asked officers to review their records of crashes of oversized trucks. A better computerized database could help prevent similar accidents. But here too California lags other states.

For five years West Virginia has benefited from a system that automatically compares bridges and state roads with the height, width and weight of every oversized load. Minnesota has been using a similar system for nearly 10 years and is updating it. In an unfortunate contrast, California’s computerized database is only about 60% complete, according to the person who put it together. Were it complete, some recent accidents involving trucks that slammed into overpasses might have been avoided.

A fully computerized database might not ensure clearance for all oversized vehicles, but it would assist overworked writers of permits.

Caltrans workers said after an accident last July that the permit office did not have enough employees to keep up with the increase in requests for clearances for oversized trucks. The agency’s director said more workers would be hired and existing technology improved. Speed is of the essence here, given the risks to public safety.

The first priority is to review permits more than once before they are issued. Next should be updating the database. However, the database did contain the correct information on the height of the bridge in the July fatal accident. That shows the need for double-checking.

State Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana) said he plans to call for legislative action to spend the estimated $5 million to $6 million to get the database up to date. With oversized trucking up 40% in six years and staffing in the permit office up only 17%, it’s clear the agency needs the extra help.