No Texting for Truck And Bus Drivers

Earlier this year, the US Transportation Department announced a new guideline for commercial bus and truck drivers, banning them from texting while driving. The Secretary of the Department, Ray LaHood said that the new federal guidelines were introduced as safety on the roads was of absolute importance, and anything that could distract the drivers should be eliminated.

The new law came into place immediately. Bus or truck drivers caught texting while driving could be fined up to $2,750 – according to a press release issued by the Department of Transportation.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers’ Association extended their support towards the newly passed federal guideline, but raised concern about the decision to implement it immediately. The Association questioned the decision, stating that it had bypassed the usual processes with regards to implementing such laws – posing problems in terms of enforcement and implementation.

Even since LaHood took up the position as Secretary of the Department of Transportation, he has been constantly focused on dealing with ‘distracted’ drivers. In view of this, LaHood organized a two day summit regarding this issue in Washington in September 2009, and even launched a website (distraction.gov) to create awareness on the related dangers.

In January 2010, FocusDriven, an advocacy group created by Janet Froetscher, the President of the National Safety Council and Lahood was announced. It is a nonprofit move to support the families of victims of distracted driving.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration statistics indicate that for every six seconds spent texting, drivers spend an average of 4.6 seconds with their eyes off the road ahead of them.

GM to Set Up Pilot Hydrogen Infrastructure in Hawaii

A pilot project recently announced by The Gas Company and General Motors will make Hawaii the first location in the United States to have infrastructure in place for hydrogen fuelling. The location is quite apt, as all the Hawaiian Islands are fairly small, which means you can never be too far away from the hydrogen fuelling stations. The isolation is also a key factor towards Hawaii being selected for testing this new technology in the transport industry.

TGC or The Gas Company has produced hydrogen and synthetic natural gas or SNG for the last few years. SNG is currently distributed to customers in the island through a network of pipelines. The SNG is mixed with 5% of hydrogen – which is sometimes increased as per the need.

GM’s new project will involve the setting up of a network consisting between 20 and 25 hydrogen filling stations located in Oahu. These fuelling stations will tap into the already existing network of pipelines. This would mean that every driver in the island will have access to a filling station within a mere drive of ten minutes. A pressure swing absorption system is used to separate pure hydrogen from the flow – which is then utilized to fill up fuel cell vehicles.

Hawaii will also benefit from this pilot project, as its isolation means fossil fuels must be imported, and that, at a premium cost as well. Grid stability is impossible as wind and sun are not constant, even though being plentiful. Thus, being able to store hydrogen gives Hawaii an advantage, especially with it being made from renewable sources. Hawaii’s goal in a generation is – to achieve 70% clean energy.