Petition to Establish the Operation Shared Roads Initiative
Improve Highway Safety Through Partnerships Between Law Enforcement and Commercial Drivers
Every day, millions of Americans share the road with commercial motor vehicles. Professional truck drivers transport the food we eat, the medicine we need, the fuel that powers our communities, and the goods that keep our economy moving.

Unfortunately, dangerous driving behaviors continue to put lives at risk.

Distracted driving, texting behind the wheel, unsafe lane changes, following too closely, aggressive merging, and failure to obey Move Over laws contribute to thousands of preventable crashes each year. Many of these dangerous actions occur around large commercial vehicles where the consequences can be catastrophic.

The Operation Shared Roads Initiative proposes a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies, commercial motor carriers, trucking organizations, and highway safety advocates to improve safety for everyone who uses America's highways.

Under this initiative, trained law enforcement officers would ride as observers in commercial vehicles during announced enforcement and educational campaigns. Officers would be able to observe dangerous driving behaviors from the unique vantage point of a truck cab and communicate violations to marked patrol units when appropriate.

This initiative is not about increasing citations.

It is about preventing crashes.

It is about educating drivers.

It is about saving lives.

The program would also provide opportunities for law enforcement officers to better understand the challenges professional drivers face every day, while helping the public better understand how dangerous driving behaviors affect everyone on the road.

We call upon the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), state highway patrol agencies, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), trucking organizations, and lawmakers to:

• Develop pilot programs for Operation Shared Roads.

• Encourage voluntary participation by commercial carriers and professional drivers.

• Conduct public awareness campaigns regarding safe driving around large trucks.

• Collect and publish data measuring the effectiveness of these programs.

• Expand successful programs nationwide.

Highway safety should never be a partisan issue.

Every crash prevented is a family spared from tragedy.

Every life saved matters.

By signing this petition, you support a common-sense effort to improve safety, encourage responsible driving, strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and the trucking industry, and make America's roads safer for everyone.

Please sign and share this petition in support of the Operation Shared Roads Initiative.

Together, we can save lives.