Transit Union says it’s time for Congress to address driver fatigue
Washington, DC – The government report finding a truck driver’s fatigue caused the fatal June 2014 Tracy Morgan crash will be seen as a harbinger of more tragic bus crashes if Congress does nothing about drowsy drivers being forced to work long hours at low wages, putting everyone at risk says the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found the truck driver involved in the fatal crash exacerbated his fatigue by driving 12 hours to work before he even started his 14-hour shift. Comedian James McNair was killed and comedian Tracy Morgan seriously injured in the accident.
“The pressures compelling drowsy truck drivers like this one to skip their rest stops to make the company’s tight delivery schedules is similar to what’s happening in the tour bus industry,” says ATU International President Larry Hanley. “Bus drivers earning low wages for unscrupulous operators are being forced to work second jobs to make ends meet, creating a situation in which many drivers are climbing into the driver’s seat sleep deprived. “
In the U.S., the employers of intercity bus drivers are exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Union says ensuring that drivers are paid fairly for the work they put in above 40 hours per week would make them less inclined to work other jobs and push their bodies beyond the limits of human endurance, threatening the safety of passengers and other drivers on the road.
Deregulation of the industry in the 1980s lead to the creation of more than 3,700 commercial motor coach and van companies in the United States – far more than the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration can monitor for compliance with safety regulations. In fact, one in four commercial motorcoach and passenger van companies has never received a full safety evaluation. Almost half have not been reviewed in over two years.
“Is working a 15-hour day not enough to earn a living? It’s time for the government to extend the labor protections most other workers get to intercity bus drivers and fairly compensate them for overtime work, especially in the safety sensitive over-the-road bus industry,” says Hanley.
According to the NTSB, 36 percent of U.S. motorcoach crash fatalities over the past decade were caused by driver fatigue. It is the number one reason for these deadly interstate accidents – far above road conditions (2 percent) or inattention (6 percent). Over the last decade, three times as many people have been killed in intercity bus accidents than in commercial airlines crashes.
ATU has called for passage of the Driver Fatigue Prevention Act. Sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, this bill would ensure that drivers are paid fairly for the overtime they work over 40 hours per week.
“Any plan to reduce bus driver fatigue that doesn’t include a proposal to remove the unjust overtime exemption for intercity bus drivers in the Fair Labor Standards Act cannot be taken seriously,” says Hanley. “Driver fatigue is no laughing matter. Just ask Tracy Morgan.”