I. Trucks, commonly seen vehicles on the streets, are frequently involved in incidents.

A. Frankel (n.d.) stated that the journal Safety of Health tied a large number of vehicular accidents and casualties every year to the 75 million trucks reported by US News and World Report that are driving long distances within the United States.

1. “On January 24, 2000, KTVU News reported on an accident that occurred in Oakland when a big rig which was going way too fast in the pouring rain fell off the side of a freeway ramp and landed on top of another car, killing that car's driver” (as cited in Frankel, n.d.).

2. “While fatality rates for most types of vehicles have remained constant over the years, truck-related deaths have actually risen 20 percent since 1992, according to Congress Daily, May 27, 1999” (as cited in Frankel, n.d.).

A. Heidi Jorgensen, a-soon-to-be-bride, was planning her wedding on the night she died. 

1.)According to Frankel, (2000), “Heidi and her fiancé, Doug, were driving home after a meeting with their priest. The driver of the tractor-trailer coming down toward them in the opposite lane didn’t even see the 30p-pound blade fall off his truck and shear off the top passenger side of Doug and Heidi’s car, killing Heidi instantly.”

B. The company of the driver who killed Jorgensen were only fined $2,400 because they did not provide a permit for their 300-pound blade.

1.) “Twenty-four hundred dollars for a human life! Does that sound like justice?”(Frankel, 2000)

2.) The truck driver’s company had already broken the law, along with many other trucking companies.

C. For years, the trucking industry has been escaping the law, and succeeding. 

1.) Frankel (2000) said that the trucking industry has been blantantly breaking the law and getting away with it for years. 

2.) “Minimally enforced safety regulations and near nonexistent punishment of violators have caused heavy trucks to become by far the most dangerous vehicles on the road.” (Frankel, 2000)

          1. "These trucks are involved in close to 250,000 crashes and 6,000 fatalities every year, according to the journal Safety and Health" (Frankel, n/d).

      B. Unsafe practices are evident in truck industries.

          1. "Jim Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, says that 30 percent of all truck wrecks are caused by driver fatigue" (Frankel, n/d).
          2. "A study done last year for the Department of Transportation shows that truckers are averaging 66 hours on the road, behind the wheel, and 75 hours if they don't belong to a union" (Frankel, n/d).
          3. "And that's apparently still not enough, because the American Trucking Association says that its top priority is to change the laws to allow truckers to stay on the road longer" (Frankel, n/d).
4. "[Representative Bud Schuster and Senator John McCain's legislation] also does not require trucking companies to install safety equipment in their vehicles" (Frankel, n/d).

  C. The government is apathetic.

  1 . "Well, the American Trucking Association has long been one of the most effective Capitol Hill lobbies" (Frankel, n/d).
  2. According to Frankel, n/d, "Last summer, consumer advocate Ralph Nader's  Public Citizen issued a report tracking $14 million in truck industry political contributions between 1993 and 1998. The top recipients of this money turned out to be Representative Bud Schuster from Pennsylvania and Senator John McCain from Arizona.

A. After a preventable accident that proved to be fatal, the individuals involved were only fined for $2,400 (Franknel, n.d.).

1. “It turns out the truck driver and his company had failed to obtain an oversize load permit. They were fined $2,400. “ (Franknel, n.d.)

2. “The trucking industry has been blatantly breaking the law and getting away with it for years. Minimally enforced safety regulations and near nonexistent punishment of violators have caused heavy trucks to become by far the most dangerous vehicles on the road.” (US News and World Report, 1999)

       A. The US government should start being involved and compel trucking companies to fix themselves.

            1. Current laws should be enforced by the government: 75-hour weeks for drivers should be prohibited (Frankel, 2000)

          2. Based on Frankel’s (2000) speech, new laws and legislation must be passed: President Clinton’s proposal

     B. It is crucial that safety equipment be installed to trucks.

           1. Automotive News says that, given the current cost of trucks, a portion may be used for safety hardware: Frankel (2000) stated that Automotive News claimed that approximately an additional 15 percent of the current truck cost can afford these equipment.

          2. Frankel (2000) also mentioned that in accordance to Automotive News, safety hardware include the following.

               a. New anti-rollover technology

               b. Onboard computerized data recorder which can prevent speedy drivers from their logbooks

              c. Crash avoidance sensor system

              d. More powerful disc brakes

     C. Society must actively do their part to make trucks safer.

            1. Individuals must support legislation of truck safety laws.

                  a. One can support President Clinton’s proposal that will increase fines for safety violations and grant mandatory rest time for truckers (Frankel, 2000).

b. Frankel (2000) mentions in her speech that installation of safety equipment for trucks should be required by law.

         2. People should actively protect themselves from trucks.

                    a. Clearance should be given to large trucks.

b. Trucks should not be followed too closely.

c. Keep in mind that if mirrors of a truck cannot be seen, the truckers cannot see you (Frankel, 2000).

A. Death caused by unsafe trucking is a complication that is growing gradually.

1. According to Frankel (2000), almost 6,000 people die because of these accidents every year.

2.  The industry has turned a blind eye to the loss of people’s lives (Frankel, 2000).

B. This problem should be looked into immediately.

1. Frankel (2000) says that our lives are too valuable to be lost because of this.

2. There are precautionary measures to prevent trucking accidents (Frankel, 2000).

II. Summary

In taking a deeper look into the problem of unsafe trucking, we have come to conclude that the industry and government are to blame, and that the solution to this is clear.

A. It has been shown to us that nearly 6,000 annual deaths were caused by the industry’s lack of care and government apathy.

B. It has been realized among us that there is an apparent fix to unsafe trucking.

III. Clincher

A. Frankel (2000) mentions how instead of being married, Heidi Jorgensen is dead due to the truck accident.

B. Frankel (2000) says that she hopes that the listener thinks that their life is

worth more than $2400.