Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, May 22, 2025:
NTSB: Truck parking shortage contributed to fatal 2023 truck-bus crash
This crash-scene photograph shows the motorcoach and three tractor-trailers involved.Illinois State Police, annotated by NTSB
A new report from the National Transportation Safety Board sheds more light on what led to a July 2023 crash in which a Greyhound Lines bus collided with three parked tractor-trailers on the right shoulder of an I-70 rest area ramp in Highland, Illinois.
According to NTSB, on July 12, 2023, the motorcoach with 21 occupants was traveling westbound on I-70 on a route from Indianapolis to St. Louis. As the bus approached the Silver Lake Rest Area, it collided with three tractor-trailers parked on the I-70 exit ramp shoulder, killing three bus passengers. The bus driver and 11 passengers sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious. The three truck drivers, who were inside their vehicles at the time of the crash, were uninjured.
NTSB determined that the probable cause of the crash was the bus driver’s fatigue, causing the driver to cross from the travel lanes onto the shoulder. Investigators determined that the bus driver’s irregular work-rest schedule and prolonged time awake contributed to his fatigue. Also contributing to the crash, NTSB said, was Greyhound’s “failure … to mitigate the motorcoach driver’s recurring unsafe driving behaviors.”
Another contribution to the crash was the presence of the three trucks parked along the shoulder of the exit ramp, despite being prohibited under Illinois law, “due to the recurring lack of available truck parking.”
NTSB issued a number of recommendations to several different agencies and organizations, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, National Coalition on Truck Parking and more.
For the U.S. DOT, NTSB recommended that the department “expand efforts to use the Truck Parking Information Management System (TPIMS) to identify rest areas in critical need of additional truck parking.” The group recognized that TPIMS’s “can improve access to truck parking and allow for targeted expansion of access and usage, but it is not a standalone solution.”
NTSB also recommended that the DOT look for ways to increase truck parking capacity on highways, such as with grant programs for states, local governments and other eligible entities; assessing the feasibility of expanding eligibility for grant programs to allow for parking facility maintenance costs; looking at the benefits of ending restrictions on privatizing rest areas; and seeking additional Congressional appropriations.
For the National Coalition on Truck Parking, NTSB recommended that the group publish an updated report that proposes solutions to truck parking capacity shortages, including projecting future truck volume and parking needs and more.
Other recommendations were focused on passenger carriers and/or directed at Greyhound itself.
Crowley names new Land Transportation VP of commercial operations
Crowley on Wednesday named Gunnar Moriarty as its vice president of commercial operations for its Land Transportation business unit, focused on advancing the company's inland end-to-end trucking and intermodal solutions across North America.
Gunnar Moriarty
He will focus on integrating innovative technologies to strengthen Crowley's position in the brokerage sector and drive business development focused on customer solutions that can leverage Crowley's comprehensive logistics offerings.
"Gunnar is an accomplished leader who brings a great deal of experience to help Crowley achieve its growth strategy in the land transportation and brokerage markets," said Phil Shook, senior vice president of Crowley Land Transportation. "We will lean on his leadership and expertise as we look to increase our integrated logistics solutions and deliver greater value and efficiency to our customers across the U.S."
Oregon launches new online oversized permitting process
Motor carriers with oversized loads in Oregon have a new way to get the permits they need to ensure their loads are legal and safe. The Oregon Department of Transportation has streamlined the permit process with the launch of Oregon Routing Information Online (ORION).
ORION is a web-based, self-service permitting system provided by Oregon DOT’s Commerce and Compliance Division. It allows motor carriers to request over-dimension permits 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
"ORION’s implementation is a priority in ODOT’s Strategic Action Plan, which calls for an efficient, innovative and technologically advanced transportation system,” said ODOT Commerce and Compliance Interim Division Administrator Carla Phelps. “The new permitting system has been years in the making and is an exciting development for the trucking industry in Oregon. We’re pleased to join 44 other states that have implemented similar modernized systems.”
Benefits of the new ORION system, according to ODOT:
- Automated routing for trip planning and single-trip permits
- Improved safety by reducing the risk of errors
- Auto-issued permits for qualified loads
- Decreased wait times for getting over-dimension permits
- Timely notification of route closures or restrictions
The Oregon Trucking Association is also contracted to issue over-dimension annual permits for their customers and can be reached by email at [email protected].
All other Commerce and Compliance business transactions remain available through existing processes, including Oregon Trucking Online. ODOT contracted with ProMiles to develop ORION.
