The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "truckers" ...
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Asleep at the Wheel
Driver fatigue kills more people on the highways than texting, cell phone use and all other distractions combined. Yet the underlying factors of fatigue-related crashes have yet to capture the attention of Congress, the public and federal regulators. The WCNC-TV Investigative Team spent months drilling down into one cause that has received almost no national attention: sleep apnea. An estimated 13 to 20 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and with increases in obesity which is related to the disorder, that number is climbing. Studies show drivers with sleep apnea are exponentially more likely to crash. And millions of long-haul truckers are more prone to sleep apnea than the average driver of a "four-wheeler".
Tags: broadcast; sleep apnea; drivers; crash
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Leaks in the System
KMSP-TV found that oversight for drug testing of commercial truckers was lax. This allowed truckers to adulterate or substitute specimens in order to pass a test. Also they found that despite drug test being required, companies in Minnesota and Wisconsin continue to put drivers behind the wheel without testing them first. Lastly, they exposed a loophole that allowed failed drivers to keep working in the industry.
Tags: trucking; transportation; drugs; drug testing; oversight; Minnesota; Wisconsin; commercial trucking; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration;
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MBI Heavy Trucks
WSMV-TV examined MBI trucking, “the nation's largest garbage hauler,†which hauls ordinary household trash across Tennessee. Their analysis of "a single trucker's daily weigh tickets for a period of more than 3 years" showed that he only "followed the federal weight law just 21 times." As a result of the investigation the company's safety and compliance record has caught the interest of the federal government.
Tags: waste management; trucking; highways; roads; U.S. Attorney; FBI; Congress; federal government; MBI; landfill;
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Road Hazards
Drivers with "poor safety records and histories of drug and alcohol abuse," poorly inspected and maintained trucks and lax enforcement of safety laws are the main problems affecting the truck driving industry in the state of Texas. The Dallas Morning News investigates, spurred by the case of Miroslaw Jozwiak, a trucker who falsified his log reports before causing a fatal accident, which he survived. The stories of those who perished in the crash are told, as are those of the people who survived the crash.
Tags: Miroslaw Jozwiak; truck drivers; truck safety; highway safety; fatal auto accidents; poor truck inspections
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Delay on DNA Frees Girl's Rapist
A trucker in Florida raped a 13 year old girl, went to trial, and was aquitted because there was no DNA proof. But the DNA test proved he committed the crime five weeks after he was seen as not guilty by a jury. With mounds of evidence against him, Kenneth Robinson was able to avoid jail because the judge's order for a DNA test was not carried through.
Tags: rape; sexual assault; DNA; child abuse; molestation; Kenneth Robinson; Gary Barrett
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"Trucking food and wastewater"
This investigation uncovered a trucking company that hauled orange juice and other citrus products in tankers used earlier to haul slightly radio-active wastewater from a state environmental cleanup project. The investigation noted a federal law passed in 1990 to prevent truckers from carrying food and nonfood products in the same tanks, which prompted both an FDA investigation and Congressional efforts to better enforce the Sanitary Food Transportation Act.
Tags: trucking; tankers; wastewater; food safety; shipping; transportation; sanitation
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Mr. and Mrs. Grimm Get a Load of Shrimp Cross Country, Fast
The Journal tells the story of truckers Rod and Kim Grimm, a married couple who make rushed deliveries across the country by taking turns behind the wheel. And they are not alone, as more and more companies choose to hire team truckers to reduce shipping time. "A recent Federal Highway Administration study found drivers sleeping five hours a day on average, and at risk of nodding off at the wheel. Team truckers have particularly hard time of it .... The highway administration is considering new rules that would require drivers to work more regular shifts."
Tags: deliveries; business; trucking industry; fatigue; safety
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A Long Haul: America's Railroads Struggle to Recapture Their Former Glory
The Wall Street Journal examines the railroad industry and the various problems it is experiencing in terms of quality of service and attention to customers' needs.
Tags: railroads; trains; truckers; mergers; railroad service; delays
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Dead Tired: On the Road with Weary Truckers
The Kansas City Star reports on the effects of deregulation on the trucking industry. As truckers work long hours for low pay, the result is disturbing: "Fatigue behind the wheel of 40-ton rigs is now so pervasive on American highways that drivers regularly nod off and drift into oncoming lanes or slam into the backs of slower-moving cars." The series reveals that federal regulations have not solved the problem with truckers' fatigue, and that the NAFTA agreement has left unaddressed the exhaustion of Mexican drivers, who sometimes drive for more than 24 hours. The analysis of accident databases has shown that many transportation companies with known safety problems have not been inspected by the government.
Tags: CAR; highway traffic safety; accidents; injuries; crashes; American Trucking Association; hauling; freight; FARS
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Rolling thunder on the highways; The most dangerous mile
A Times investigation finds that truckers are at fault in about half of all California large-truck crashes. In the first of three parts reporters reveal that on a single day in August 1998 there were 139 truck accidents on California roads. The Long Beach Freeway is the highway portion with the greatest concentration of truck accidents along any highway mile in the state, the report reveals. Heavy traffic and the illogical way that fast and slow lanes are located along the highway make "a recipe for wrecks." A major finding is that new technology could make trucks safer, but at a price.
Tags: trucks; road accidents; highways; victims; safety; traffic; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration