New York Senator Calls for GPS Standards for Trucks

New York Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on the federal government to investigate the rising number of overpass collisions involving trucks that are led onto roads where they don’t belong by GPS devices.

Schumer says he will ask the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue nationwide standards for GPS devices for commercial vehicles.

He says the GPS devices often lead trucks onto roads that forbid commercial vehicles.

He noted an increase of trucks hitting low overpasses on Long Island, in Westchester County and New York City.

The senator said 43 bridges have been hit on Long Island parkways in 2011. He cited a 2009 study that indicated 80 percent of bridge strikes were caused by misused GPS devices.