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Commercial truckers say that theft of their cargo is becoming a big problem. Experts saw a huge spike in semi truck cargo thefts in 2009. Most of the thefts that have been reported occur when the truck driver stops for a bite to eat.

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KHQ.com in Spokane WA reports:

“Last year, close to 500 million dollars of goods were stolen from truckers in the U.S. That’s a 67 percent increase over the 290 million from 2008. Thieves stole 859 truckloads last year alone.

The items that appear to be at high risk are electronic or pharmaceutucal goods because they can be easily sold to consumers.

“Truckers have been warned by their companies to stay away from certain states because the risk of a heist is too high. High risk states include Georgia, Texas and Florida.

Trucker drivers also say they’re coming up with more ways to protect themselves and their cargo.

Tractor-trailer driver Angela Middleton gives an example of ways truckers are trying to prevent thefts. “A friend of mine actually has a chain that he will strap through his door handles and locks it where there’s just little room left on his side to close it, so if they try to open the door they can’t even get it all the way open.”

The thefts may be related to a down economy, but others could be because of plain carelessness, as drivers leave their rigs unlocked.”

DAVIDSON, NC – A tractor trailer transporting U.S. Mail slid off a slippery North Carolina highway Saturday afternoon and almost fell into Lake Norman. The truck accident happened on Interstate 77 near the town of Davidson, NC. The area is in the Charlotte metropolitan region in the far southwest section of the state, 164 miles west of Raleigh, NC and 260 miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia.

The cab of the tractor trailer dangled off the bridge edge, a few feet from the cold water.

At approximately 1:00 p.m. Saturday, the unidentified tractor truck driver was traveling south on I-77. The region was under a severe winter storm advisory and the roads were extremely icy… ... Read More

GREEN HILL, AL: Two people died and two others were critically injured in a head-on truck accident in Alabama Friday morning. The accident happened on US 43 in Green Hill, AL in Lauderdale County. The area is in the far northwest section of the state just a few miles from the Tennessee border, 105 miles south of Nashville, TN and 139 miles northwest of Birmingham, AL.

The Chevy HHR crashed into the front of a 2002 Freightliner tractor trailer truck that was traveling south on US 43. The semi tractor trailer went off the road and came to a stop in a ditch.

According to State troopers, 37 year old Leila Duncan of Lexington, AL was the driver of the smaller vehicle and had 3 passengers, her 9 year old daughter Maggie, 41 year old Diana Vandiver of Killen, AL, and Vandiver’s 13 month old niece Jaden… ... Read More

STANWOOD, WA – Early Thursday morning at about 1:40 am, a stolen Chevy pickup truck crashed into a freight train at the rail crossing at 48th Avenue NW in Stanwood, Washington. The area is in the western part of the state, about 50 miles north of Seattle. The driver of the stolen truck remains missing as police piece together the mystery. The street where the accident occurred is also known as Valde Road.

Investigators examine the twisted wreckage of a pickup that crashed into a moving train in Stanwood, WA early Thursday morning.

According to a spokesman from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, the pickup truck that hit the freight train was apparently stolen from a local Stanwood business. The BNSF is investigating the incident… ... Read More

LODGE, SC – Three people died Wednesday morning after the passenger van they were in was hit by a tractor trailer truck in South Carolina. The truck collision happened on US Route 601 near Lodge in rural Colleton County. The area of the truck accident is in the south-central section of the state, 70 miles northwest of Charleston, SC, and 74 miles southeast of Augusta, Georgia.

Three of the van passengers suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to authorities, at around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, 27 year old Bernardo Lopez-Hernandez of Walterboro, SC was driving a 15 passenger van west on SC Highway 641. There were seven passengers in the van with the driver, the passengers identified as migrant workers. ... Read More

BURLINGTON, PA – A truck driver fell into a creek and died after a truck accident Monday in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. The truck accident happened on the South Berwick Turnpike/State Route 3009 in Burlington Township. The area is in the northeast section of the state near the New York border, 63 miles southwest from Binghamton, NY and 187 miles northwest of Philadelphia, PA.

Accident scene of semi truck that crashed over a bridge into Sugar Creek in Burlington Township, PA. Photo credit: Star-Gazette, Elmira, NY

The truck accident happened around 11:30 a.m. last Monday morning as 45 year old Terry L. Evans of Lindsey, Oklahoma,  was driving his Peterbilt truck north on the South Berwick Turnpike. As Evans reached the area near Hanks Road he apparently was driving too fast and failed to successfully negotiate a left hand curve. He lost control of the truck on the curve and the tractor trailer rolled over and then crashed into the bridge over the Sugar Creek…

... Read More

WASHINGTON D.C. – On January 15, 2010 the American Trucking Associations (ATA) filed a lawsuit with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in which it asks the court to compel the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a long-overdue regulation for hours-of-service (HOS) supporting documents.

Semi truck carriers on US highways affected by DOT hours-of-service documents

The lawsuit that was filed by the ATA is referred to as a “mandamus” action in which a court can compel government officials to perform their legal duties. Actions such as this that compel agencies to issue overdue regulations are common. Such actions often result in a settlement where the government agency agrees to act within a negotiated time frame … ... Read More

WASHINGTON D.C. – On Tuesday, January 26, 2010 the U.S. Department of Transportation  (DOT) announced that, effective immediately, sending text messages while driving is now illegal for commercial truckers and bus drivers. The department said that truck drivers and bus drivers who engage in the practice of texting while behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.

Big rig trucks and buses traveling on US roads are banned from texting

Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood said, “We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe,” and that this was an “important safety step.” He stated further that the DOT would be taking more steps to “eliminate the threat of distracted driving.”… ... Read More

MOBILE, AL – A man died after his pick-up truck was hit by a tractor trailer Thursday afternoon in Mobile County, Alabama. The truck accident occurred on Moffett Road/US Highway 98 in the city of Mobile, AL. The area is in the far south section of the state near the border with Mississippi. The region is 258 miles south of Birmingham, AL and 143 miles northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The driver of the 18-wheeler attempted to maneuver to avoid hitting the pick-up truck.

According to Mobile Police who responded to the scene, the truck accident happened shortly before 1:00 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Moffett Road/US Highway 98 and Phillips Lane, across the street from the Forrest Hill Elementary School … ... Read More

CARLISLE, PA – A Pennsylvania man died Thursday when he smashed his van into a tractor trailer truck on Interstate 81 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The accident happened in Carlisle-Middlesex Township, PA. The region is in the south-central section of the state, 190 miles east of Pittsburgh, PA and 123 miles west of Philadelphia, PA.

The force of the head-on crash ripped apart a van on Interstate 81. Jason Malmont/The Sentinel

At around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, 50 year old Bradley Thomas of Pottstown, PA was driving a red Ford van, traveling south on Interstate 81. Shortly after he passed exit 52, Mr. Thomas reportedly began to drive erratically on the highway. He drove through the grassy median that separated the highway and into the northbound lanes… ... Read More