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Highway Patrol Is Zooming In On Aggressive Truck Drivers

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By KEITH MORELLI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 25, 2007

TAMPA - Florida Highway Patrol troopers this week are focusing their speed guns on tractor-trailer rigs to reduce fatal accidents because commercial drivers have been involved in more than their share recently.

The statewide push, which continues through today, was announced by Lt. Col. John Czernis. He said Operation Safe Ride is part of a series of long-term enforcement efforts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Florida's roads.

'During this operation, troopers will be watching for unsafe drivers, especially those who contribute to collisions between passenger vehicles and large trucks,' Czernis said in a statement.

Drivers of passenger vehicles often don't realize it takes tractor-trailers longer to stop or slow, Trooper Larry Coggins said.

Most commercial drivers are safe drivers, he said.

'However, because of vehicle size, weight, and the type of cargo hauled by commercial vehicles, the potential for causing mass destruction to other vehicles or property is very real,' Coggins said.

Reginald Williams, a 41-year-old truck driver from Titusville, said Wednesday that he had no problem with troopers ticketing aggressive drivers as long as they target all aggressive drivers, including those in 'four-wheelers,' his term for regular automobiles.

'I've never had a problem with the FHP,' Williams said, heading to lunch at a truck stop on U.S. 301, east of Tampa. 'If you're doing the speed limit, the FHP doesn't have a problem with you. They're just doing their jobs. But if you're an aggressive driver, you need to be targeted.'

Williams, carrying steel beams to Charleston, S.C., on his flatbed, said commercial truck drivers typically are experienced drivers who seldom cause wrecks. He said when other vehicles cause truckers to swerve or brake suddenly, problems arise.

He recalled a time when a car passed him on the highway, then cut back in front of him in his lane. The car's driver then braked hard when he saw a police cruiser on the side of the road. Williams said he had to stand on the brakes to keep from rear-ending the car. The officer ended up issuing him a ticket for following too closely.

Truckers who get tickets have points added to their licenses and see their insurance rates rise. He said he pays nearly $1,000 a month for insurance, and a ticket would increase that to $1,100 or $1,200 a month.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles says a small percentage of crashes involve commercial vehicles, but they are involved in a disproportionate number of fatal crashes.

Commercial trucks were involved in about 8 percent of accidents last year, but 13 percent of fatal crashes, the highway patrol said.

Williams agreed that a disproportionate number of fatalities occur in wrecks involving tractor-trailers, but he advised looking deeper into the figures before assigning blame.

The 20-year truck driver recalled a wreck three years ago in which a car crossed a median in Titusville and struck his rig, which was stopped at a red light. The three women in the car died.

'And I wasn't even moving,' he said.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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