Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, May 21, 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.”
Yet the very presence of the three rigs parked along the shoulder of the exit ramp contributed to the crash, despite being prohibited to even be there under Illinois law, NTSB said, nonetheless recognizing “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.”
[Related: Coalition parking advocacy resources released with ease of use in mind]
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.
[Related: Greyhound smashes three parked trucks: Hours of service, truck parking shortage to blame?]
Vermont’s ‘Notch’ claims another truck, trucking company fined $2.3K
Vermont’s infamous “Smuggler’s Notch” claimed another victim Monday, May 19, when a truck driver got his tractor-trailer stuck on Route 108S in the town of Cambridge.
The stretch of roadway has resulted in dozens of stuck trucks through the years. The scenic section of highway connects two ski resorts and goes over the top of a mountain.
The state has made efforts in recent years to cut down on the number of trucks that attempt to navigate the stretch of highway, but it apparently hasn’t been enough for a 100% reduction. Those efforts include increased fines, signs in multiple languages, and even a chicane just ahead of the restricted route designed to make it quite difficult for tractor-trailers to pass through.
According to Vermont State Police, the truck driver, 36-year-old Musa Boima of Maryland, “was traveling from Waterbury to Enosburg when he chose to disregard several signs stating tractor-trailers were prohibited, and decided to drive around chicanes that were installed at the entrance to the notch road.” VSP added that Boima claimed he saw a sign that said he could drive through.
As a result, the Notch was closed for three hours while Polar Bear Towing and Recovery assisted with getting the unit out.
Boima was issued a civil traffic ticket for a violation of Title 23 VSA 1038 "driving on lanes for traffic," and per Vermont law, the company Boima works for was issued a ticket for Title 23 VSA 1006(b) "tractor trailer in the notch," which carries a fine of $2,347.00.
[Related: The most dangerous road for truckers? Vermont's Notch Road claims another]
Oregon launches new online oversize permitting process
Motor carriers with oversize 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-dimensional 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.
[Related: Oversize/overweight permitting tech tools multiplying]
